The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has issued a stern warning to parents about the dangers of falsifying the ages of their children in order to meet the minimum age requirement for university admission in Nigeria.
Prof. Oloyede emphasized that such practices not only undermine the integrity of the educational system but also expose young students to corruption and a potential future of unethical behavior.
Prof. Oloyede made these remarks while attending the Academic and Research Excellence Award ceremony, where the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, honored Yusuf Olaolu Ali (SAN), a distinguished legal scholar from Ilorin.
The JAMB Registrar praised the OAU for recognizing and rewarding excellence, highlighting the importance of encouraging scholarship and academic research in Nigerian universities.
Speaking on the importance of age limits in the admission process, Prof. Oloyede clarified that the minimum age for university admission has been set at 16 years, not 18, for the 2024 academic year.
He expressed concern over the increasing trend of parents manipulating their children’s ages to meet this requirement, thereby “cutting corners” instead of addressing the underlying issues in the educational system.
He pointed out that primary education typically begins at age six, followed by 12 years of schooling before entering university. Prof. Oloyede stressed that this timeline is not new, and urged parents to adhere to it rather than seeking shortcuts.
“This year, the minimum age is 16, not 18. How many brilliant students do you have at the end of the day? People are cutting corners instead of us to address the root of our problem, we’re making excuses,” he stated.
Prof. Oloyede also mentioned that some universities, such as the University of Lagos (UNILAG), have already been enforcing this age limit by not admitting students under 16.
He reiterated that children should be allowed to mature both biologically and academically before taking on the challenges of higher education.
