With the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) set to begin screening for over 500 exceptional candidates below 16 years seeking admission into tertiary institutions, a lot of issues have come up concerning the exercise. While the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, stressed that the screening was designed to identify only “the most exceptional and well-prepared candidates,” with an insistence that the practice was in line with global standards, parents were fingered as culpable for presenting underage candidates for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination(UTME). Additionally, though applauded in certain quarters, the screening is seen as a reflection of inconsistency and lack of willpower to execute policies, particularly the rule on age-based admission in institutions of higher learning. Thus, recourse to further screening of candidates who won’t be 16 next month is viewed as overkill, while there are concerns that resources channelled into the exercise might as well be deployed to actualise other projects, DAMOLA KOLA-DARE reports.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it would begin screening for over 500 exceptional candidates below 16 years of age seeking admission into tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 academic session as from Monday next week.
The exercise to be conducted by a special technical committee set up by JAMB, according to resolutions reached during a virtual meeting of members, would conclude on Friday, September 26.
The JAMBG Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, said three venues hadbeen selected for the screening: Lagos, Abuja, and Owerri. He said Lagos will host 397 candidates, Owerri 136, and Abuja 66.
Oloyede disclosed that out of 41,027 underage candidates, who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), more than 40,000 did not scale the first hurdle. He stressed that the screening aimed to identify only the most exceptional and well-prepared candidates, noting that the practice was in line with global standards.
“People have been doing it in other parts of the world. We are not reinventing the wheel,” the JAMB boss said.
During the meeting, a subcommittee led by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja presented its report on the planned assessment, stating that candidates would face subject-specific tests followed by a brief oral interview. The committee also resolved to request the result details from the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to verify the eligibility of some shortlisted candidates before they appear for interviews. Out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for this year’s UTME nationwide, 599 scored above 300 but fell below the minimum admission age of 16, leading to the creation of the screening committee.
The policy is in tandem with the Ministry of Education’s directive setting 16 years as the minimum entry age for tertiary institutions and to ensure that candidates are mentally and psychologically prepared for the demands of higher learning.
It was gathered that four universities, including the Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna; Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; University of Jos; and Osun State University, have maintained a strict stance against granting admission to underage candidates, no matter the circumstance and they intimated JAMB.
According to JAMB, the policy will balance academic excellence with cognitive maturity, prevent age falsification and protect young candidates from undue parental pressure. The board is targeting only candidates who scored at least 320 in UTME (80%), achieve a minimum of 80% in post-UTME, and secure at least 80% (24/30 points) in a single WAEC or NECO sitting.
With the screening beginning on Monday, stakeholders believe it is quite justifiable and that the decision to conduct a separate screening for underage candidates demonstrates the examination body’s capacity to implement corrective measures to ensure quality. On the other side of the pendulum, they also highlight the logistical risks, particularly for candidates who are minors and the current security climate in certain areas of the country. They stressed that parents may also feel uneasy about sending their underage children across state lines for another round of screening, especially if they perceive it as an unnecessary burden. They reckoned that while this attempt of JAMB might seem good on paper, it brought questions around the resources to execute the screening, and that it could instead be left to respective institutions of higher learning to conduct for the examination body to concentrate on its primary duty of examination conduct.
Is the screening justifiable?
According to the National President of Early Childhood Association of Nigeria (ECAN), Prof. Babajide Abidogun, the screening appears justifiable based on the need to ensure that candidates, below 16 are truly exceptional and well-prepared for tertiary education.
“Consider the case of a 14-year-old who passes a university entrance exam with flying colours but might not have the maturity to handle the social, emotional and academic pressures of university life. Screening would give universities a better idea of whether such a candidate is truly ready,” he said.
For the Deputy National President of National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, JAMB is only being thoughtful not to disqualify students under age 16. He said Oloyede was trying to balance the situation by being fair.
He said: “Why did parents allow such underage candidates to sit for exams in the first place? Parents are to blame. JAMB is looking at the middle of the road solution, hence the decision. Once you are not 16 years old, don’t sit for the examination. Parents should not break examination rules anymore. JAMB is only being thoughtful not to disqualify students under age 16. Oloyede is trying to balance the situation by being fair. He did that to prevent outright disqualification because of the glitches experienced during the conduct of the exam. The step is also a warning to us (parents) not to do it again.
“We (NAPTAN) are in support of it. We won’t condone parents breaking examination rules by fielding underage candidates.”
Aversion towards compromising quality
Abidogun said: “The decision to conduct a separate screening for underage candidates shows that JAMB is still able to implement corrective measures to ensure quality.
“Despite the earlier glitches, JAMB is responding to specific issues by putting in place a supplementary screening process to address potential concerns regarding underage candidates.
“The fact that JAMB is screening over 500 most exceptional candidates shows that it is committed to maintaining the integrity of the admissions process, despite the earlier technical setbacks. It’s a step toward identifying the right candidates, ensuring they are prepared, and reducing the likelihood of future problems.
“Imagine a situation where there were technical difficulties in processing UTME results, causing delays or inaccuracies. However, instead of ignoring the issue, JAMB organises an additional screening to ensure that only the most qualified underage candidates are admitted. This would show that JAMB is focused on maintaining a high standard, even in the face of challenges.”
Issues of concern
An educationist and Director, Capacity Development Initiative, Lagos, Mr. Onanuga Olubayo, noted that a crucial point in the nation’s economy, putting more pressure on available resources should be jettisoned. He stressed that at least some millions of naira, which would go into the exercise could have been diverted to “some better meaningful purposes”.
He said if there were exceptional candidates that should be screened, the respective institutions should do that and JAMB should concentrate on its primary duty which is entrance examination into tertiary institutions.
“This screening is largely unjustifiable and if it does, the respective institutions should be given the prerogative to do so or alternatively, let the government relax the law on entry age into institutions of higher learning across the country.
“Secondly, insisting on screening is possibly just an overlap on the path of JAMB. The affected institutions could carry out the screening instead. The present security situation of this country does not give that much room for such a screening exercise.
“The government came up with the rule on age-based admission into higher institutions for candidates. Coming back around to conduct screening for these is nothing but an obvious indication that the government is either naive, inept or lacks the will power to execute a simple policy like this. It portrays a very weak and porous government and system that anyone could easily simply hack into under a feigned context or guise.
“It reflects a bedeviling inconsistency in policies that has always been the problem of past governments of the country and this particular one.
“It equally throws up a matter of double standards in the dealings of the examination body considering that the Education System/Architecture of this country needs to be fixed as a matter of urgency as we have at no time ever defined our objective until the recently announced feeble attempt to structure it,” he said.
Abidogun added: “Given the security situation and the safety of candidates, insisting on screening underage candidates could be seen as problematic due to certain factors.
“Travelling to various venues for screening, particularly for candidates who are minors, could expose them to risks. For example, if a candidate from the north has to travel to Lagos or Abuja for screening, the journey might not be safe considering the current security climate in certain areas of the country.”
Screening raises germane questions
Abidogun stressed that JAMB conducting another round of screening for underage candidates could imply some questions regarding the effectiveness of the UTME as a reliable measure of a candidate’s readiness for university.
He said: “The need for an additional screening might indicate that the UTME, while a good assessment tool, may not fully capture a candidate’s maturity and preparedness, especially for the under 16.
“If underage candidates are being screened out after performing well in the UTME, some might argue that the examination was not comprehensive enough in evaluating the overall suitability of the candidates for university. It could also raise questions about whether the system was being consistently applied.
“However, this could also signal that JAMB is actively working to improve the admission process by introducing multiple layers of evaluation to ensure that only the best candidates are selected.
“Consider a 15-year-old candidate who scored extremely well in the UTME but fails the additional screening due to age-related concerns, despite being academically excellent. This could create doubts about whether the UTME alone was an adequate reflection of their true potential for tertiary education, especially if the screening process focuses mainly on age and maturity rather than academic competence.”
