Education Minister Announces Age Criteria For NECO, WAEC Eligibility

Education Minister Announces Age Criteria For NECO, WAEC Eligibility

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced on Sunday that underage candidates will no longer be permitted to take secondary school leaving examinations. He made this statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program…….,,CONTINUE READING

Mamman explained that the Federal Government has directed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which administers the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), and the National Examinations Council (NECO), which oversees the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), to enforce an age limit of 18 years for eligibility to sit for these exams. He also confirmed that the age limit for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) remains 18 years.

“The age limit is 18,” the minister stated. “In our meeting with JAMB in July, we decided to allow this year as a transition period for parents, but from next year, JAMB will strictly enforce the 18-year age requirement for university admission in Nigeria.”

He emphasized that this is not a new policy, but rather a reinforcement of existing guidelines. “If you calculate the number of years students should spend in school, from early childhood care to primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary school, they should be around 17 and a half years old by the time they are ready for university admission,” he noted.

Mamman clarified, “We are not introducing a new policy, contrary to some opinions. We are simply reminding everyone of the existing rules. Moving forward, NECO and WAEC will not allow underage students to take their exams. In other words, students must have completed the requisite number of years at each level of education before being eligible to sit for these exams.”

The minister also provided a breakdown of the expected educational timeline: five years in early childhood care, starting primary school at age six, six years in primary school, followed by three years in junior secondary school at age 12, and three years in senior secondary school, leading to university admission at age 18.

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