The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that the minimum admission age of 16 years for entry into tertiary institutions was not introduced by the Board but is a policy approved by the National Council on Education and contained in the National Policy on Education.

The Board’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, stated this on Thursday during the monthly dialogue of the Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN), themed “2026 JAMB Admission Policy Meeting Review and JAMB Scorecard: A Conversation with the Registrar.”

He represented the Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, a professor of Islamic Studies, who was unavoidably absent due to an official assignment outside the country. Mr Oloyede, whose second and final five-year tenure expires on 31 July, will be succeeded by Segun Aina, a professor of Computer Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), who has been appointed as the next Registrar of JAMB.

Responding to questions on the minimum admission age, Mr Benjamin explained that JAMB merely implements the policy and should not be seen as its originator.

He said the National Council on Education approved the age requirement, which is reflected in the country’s National Policy on Education.

According to him, candidates who demonstrate exceptional academic ability may still be considered under a special provision for gifted children.

Recalling one such case, Mr Benjamin said a university in the United Kingdom once contacted JAMB to seek clarification after a Nigerian candidate gained admission into a postgraduate programme at an unusually young age.

He said the Board explained that the candidate had been certified as exceptionally gifted under its policy.

Mr Benjamin stressed that while JAMB implements government policies on admissions, it does not formulate them.

Colleges of Education admission policy

Speaking on the Federal Government’s decision to exempt some categories of candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mr Benjamin said the policy was introduced after years of low enrolment in the institutions.

He explained that many Colleges of Education had struggled to fill even 10 per cent of their approved admission quota, making it necessary for the government to review the admission process.

According to him, the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) will jointly regulate degree-awarding Colleges of Education under the new arrangement.

He said the NUC would oversee the degree component of the programmes, while the NCCE would continue to regulate the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) component.

Mr Benjamin added that candidates admitted under the arrangement would undertake a five-year combined NCE and degree programme, reducing the duration from the previous six-year structure.