The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has announced that the board has introduced an Exceptionally Brilliant Window for candidates under the age of 16 to participate in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political program aired on Channels Television, Oloyede explained that while JAMB maintains the 16-year minimum entry age for tertiary institutions, provisions have been made for students who demonstrate exceptional academic abilities.
“In Nigeria, we have many brilliant students, and we recognize their excellence. While the general rule remains that candidates must be at least 16 years old, we now have a special category for those who are truly exceptional. If you are below 16 and believe you meet the standard, you can register under the exceptional candidacy category,” he stated.
Oloyede expressed surprise at the number of early registrants, revealing that over 2,000 candidates, some as young as 10, 11, and 12 years old, had already applied within a few days of opening the window. However, he raised concerns about parents who manipulate their children’s academic progression through class skipping and falsified documents.
“Normal children cannot mature beyond their biological age, but some parents are going to great lengths—altering birth records and obtaining affidavits—to accelerate their children’s education. It seems they are more interested in showcasing their children’s achievements to enhance their own status, claiming, ‘My child graduated at 13, my child is a lawyer,'” he said.
The introduction of this exceptional candidacy window aims to provide a fair opportunity for genuinely outstanding students while curbing unethical practices in early academic advancement.
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.