The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that a special screening committee will be set up to review the eligibility of over 500 outstanding candidates below the age of 16 who are seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session.
This decision was announced on Wednesday by JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, following a virtual meeting with relevant stakeholders.
Oloyede explained that of the 41,027 underage candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), over 40,000 did not meet the initial qualification criteria.
The conditions include a minimum score of 320 in the UTME (80%), 80% in the post-UTME, and 80% (24/30 points) in a single WAEC or NECO sitting.
However, for the over 500 who met the basic criteria, a special screening committee will be set up to review their eligibility for admission. He added that the screening will take place from September 22 to 26, 2025.
Professor Oloyede said three centres have been designated for the process: Lagos (397 candidates), Owerri (136 candidates), and Abuja (66 candidates).
The screening aims to ensure that only the most exceptional and adequately prepared underage candidates are considered for admission.
“People have been doing it in other parts of the world. We are not reinventing the wheel,” he said.
Naija News reports that a subcommittee led by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja reported that the assessment will include subject-specific tests and a brief oral interview.
JAMB will also request detailed results from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to verify the eligibility of some shortlisted candidates before interviews.
Participants in the meeting included heads of tertiary institutions, representatives of government agencies, civil society groups, members of the Nigerian Academy of Education, and the principal of the Federal Government Gifted Academy, Suleja.
It would be recalled that the federal government had earlier announced that the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria is sixteen years.
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