No More Underage Candidates: FG Tightens Exam Rules

The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its existing policy of prohibiting individuals under the age of 18 from participating in the National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams, as announced by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program. The government has directed WAEC and NECO to enforce the 18-year age requirement for candidates wishing to take the Senior School Certificate Examination and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination. This policy also applies to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), with a grace period for this year, but strictly enforced from next year. The Minister clarified that this is not a new policy, but rather a reminder of the existing age requirement, which is calculated based on the number of years students spend in school from early childhood to senior secondary school, totaling 17.5 years. Henceforth, WAEC and NECO will not permit underage students to write their examinations if they have not completed the requisite number of years in their current level of study.