The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set a cut-off mark of 140 for university admissions and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, announced this on Thursday in Abuja during the 2024 Policy Meeting of JAMB. The event was attended by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, along with vice-chancellors, rectors, registrars of higher institutions, and other stakeholders.
During the meeting, the minister directed that candidates under 18 years old should not be granted admission to tertiary institutions. This announcement received mixed reactions from the attending vice-chancellors, rectors, and registrars. Mamman criticized parents who pressure their underage children to seek admission into higher education.
Mamman stated that the 18-year age requirement aligns with Nigeria’s 6-3-3-4 educational system. He emphasized, “JAMB is hereby instructed from this year to admit only eligible students, those who have attained 18 years by our laws.”
He stressed that this directive is supported by Nigeria’s legal framework for tertiary admissions and should not require a ministerial statement for implementation. “Our laws require students to be in school from six years—yes, some start at five—and remain in primary school for six years, basic education for three years, and secondary school for three years… It doesn’t require a statement from the minister; we are only restating what is in the law,” he added.
Professor Mamman also mentioned that for students unable to gain admission into tertiary institutions, the Ministry of Education is introducing skill-based education from primary school onward.
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