The federal government has directed that candidates who’re less than 18 years old should not be offered admission into tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, gave the directive on Monday, April 22, during a monitoring exercise of the ongoing 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory.
The minister stated the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 education system.
He stated: “The minimal age of entry into the university is 18, however we have seen students who’re 15 or 16 years old going in for the entrance examination.
“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that’s causing this.
“We are going to look at this development as a result of the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.”
