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The Only Way JAMB Can Consider Underage Candidates –Registrar
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has stated the only condition in which it could wave its policy on underage candidates.
The clarification on the fate of underage candidates was a major fallout of the of a meeting in Ikeja, Lagos yesterday of the management of the board, led by the Registrar, Professor Isaq Oloyede, and Commissioners for Education in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He made reference to pressures being mounted by parents and guardians, regarding exceptionally brilliant candidates or others a little short of the 16 years admission age set by the admission body, stating:
“For now, 16 years is the admission age, and if anybody is not up to that age, he has to meet the requirement of scoring 80 per cent in the UTME and the post-UTME screening.
“Some people are saying there should be something that can be done to fill the gap year before they are old enough to be admitted at 16 years.
“Going by the country’s education policy, and if people stick to the rules, most students should be close to 16 before the admission year”, he said.
The matter of underage candidates had turned out a contentious one, making the registrar to put the matter to vote, whereby the majority gave the Board the go-ahead to continue the special assessment process for such candidates.
It was also stated that parents were actually putting pressure on their children to quickly finish their education, thereby putting the board under pressure to back down on its agreed position.
Aside the issue of underage candidates, the registrar also responded to the issue of special concessions and registration hitherto allowed for people with albinism.
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He said the board had cancelled it because some people were now using it to perpetrate malpractice.
On the issue of movement of computers from one centre to another for whatever reasons, Professor Oloyede stated:
“A computer that is registered in a particular centre will remain there and is not transferable to another centre.
“Some people, because they want their centres to be accredited, would go and borrow computers from different sources, and after we have thought they are qualified and accredited them, then they will be moving the computers from one place to the other.
“We don’t post candidates to towns they did not choose.
“Name, state and other vital information of a candidate are obtained from the NIN they submit for registration. We don’t misspell names because we don’t tamper with that”, he said.
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The Only Way JAMB Can Consider Underage Candidates –Registrar
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Musa suweba mercy
January 27, 2026 at 9:57 am
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reiterated that the only circumstance under which it would relax its policy on underage candidates is when such candidates demonstrate exceptional academic performance. The Board maintained that the minimum admission age into Nigerian tertiary institutions remains 16 years.
This clarification followed a high-level meeting held in Ikeja, Lagos, involving the management of JAMB, led by its Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, and Commissioners for Education from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The meeting addressed growing concerns surrounding admission policies and examination procedures.
Professor Oloyede explained that underage candidates could only be considered for admission if they score at least 80 per cent in both the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and post-UTME screening exercises. He noted that pressures from parents and guardians, particularly those pushing exceptionally young or brilliant children, had intensified debates on the issue.
The registrar disclosed that the issue of underage admission had become contentious, prompting the Board to subject it to a vote during the meeting. The majority of stakeholders, however, endorsed JAMB’s decision to continue the special assessment process for such candidates rather than lowering the age requirement outright.
Beyond underage admission, Professor Oloyede also addressed other operational matters, including the withdrawal of special concessions previously granted to candidates with albinism due to abuse, and the strict policy against transferring computers between CBT centres. He emphasized that JAMB remains committed to transparency, fairness, and strict adherence to national education policies.