JAMB INTRODUCES MOCK-UTME FOR UNDERAGE CANDIDATES
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has introduced a mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for candidates below the age of 16.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, explained that the mock UTME is not for the purpose of tertiary institution admission but for underage seeking to test their ability.
Oloyede spoke on Sunday at a meeting with media executives in Lagos, where he also announced that this year's UTME will hold on March 8, 2025.
The JAMB registrar explained that the board would be enforcing the 16-year age limit for this year's UTME registration, noting that only gifted candidates below 15 years old be allowed to register.
He added that to qualify to secure admission as an underage, the candidate must score not less than 280 marks in UTME and perform exceptionally in its senior secondary certificate and post-UTME examinations.
"The policy meeting on admission adopted 16 years as the minimum for 2024 admission. JAMB tried to assist by extending the date to accommodate more candidates, but we were taken to court to reverse the extension to 16 years," he explained.
Former Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced last year that only candidates aged 18 and above would be admitted into tertiary institutions in the country.
The declaration attracted a lot of criticisms from Nigerians, which forced the Federal Government to reverse the decision.
Mamman's successor, Dr Tunji Alausa, suspended the 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions in the country in November 2024.
Meanwhile, Oloyede disclosed that 870 computer-based test centres had been screened and provisionally listed for the 2025
The declaration attracted a lot of criticisms from Nigerians, which forced the Federal Government to reverse the decision.
Mamman's successor, Dr Tunji Alausa, suspended the 18-year admission benchmark for tertiary institutions in the country in November 2024.
Meanwhile, Oloyede disclosed that 870 computer-based test centres had been screened and provisionally listed for the 2025 UTME compared to 747 approved last year.