The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has expressed concern over the high number of underage students gaining entry into universities. He announced plans to review and set the minimum entry age into tertiary institutions in the country at 18 years.
Prof. Mamman made this statement while observing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Abuja on Monday. He highlighted the issue of young applicants who may lack the maturity to handle university education effectively.
“We have noticed that some of the applicants are too young to grasp the responsibilities of university education. Moving from a controlled environment to university life requires maturity. Students who are too young may struggle to manage their affairs, contributing to problems within universities,” he said.
The minister emphasized the need to enforce the minimum entry age of 18 for universities and discourage the enrollment of students as young as 15 or 16. He called on parents to allow their children to attain a certain level of maturity before pursuing higher education.
Commending the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for the smooth conduct of the examination, Prof. Mamman attributed the reduction in examination malpractice to the adoption of technology.
“The examination process, from screening to the actual test, has been seamless. Technology has played a significant role in minimizing malpractice, with only a few cases reported out of over 1.2 million candidates,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, also praised the UTME process and its expansion to Saudi Arabia due to its high standards and reliability.
“The speed and efficiency of the examination process, particularly in online centers, are commendable. JAMB’s commitment to maintaining exam integrity has led to its expansion beyond Nigeria, with exams now being conducted in Saudi Arabia,” Dr. Sununu remarked.
