•Prof Tahir Mamman
The Education Minister Prof Tahir Mamman, has made a U-turn in his earlier statement, where he directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to admit only candidates who have attained 18 years in tertiary institutions.
Mamman today, in an ongoing policy meeting organised by JAMB, in Abuja, announced that only applicants who were 18 years and above were eligible for admission, reports Vanguard.
Stakeholders in the meeting kicked against his statement, noting that its illogical for a 16-year-old student to pass WAEC, JAMB and be denied admission.
Reacting to that, the minister later accepted the suggestions of the stakeholders that from 16 years and above should be eligible for this year’s admission, while the law would apply from next year.
The meeting was held following the successful conduct of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). A total of 1,989,668 registered candidates for this year’s UTME.
Out of the 1,989,668 registered candidates, 80,810 were absent while a total of 1,904,189 sat for the UTME within the six days of the examination.
The policy meeting was chaired by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, and decided following recommendations by the heads of institutions.
