FG enforces 18-year age limit for WAEC, NECO Exams

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced that underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), respectively.

Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, revealed this directive during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program. He emphasized that the enforcement of an 18-year age limit for these exams is not a new policy but a reinforcement of existing regulations.

His words: “It is 18 (years). What we did at the meeting that we had with JAMB (in July) was to allow this year and for it to serve as a kind of notice for parents that this year, JAMB will admit students who are below that age but from next year, JAMB is going to insist that anybody applying to go to university in Nigeria meets the required age which is 18.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a new policy; this is a policy that has been there for a long time.

“Even basically if you compute the number of years pupils, and learners are supposed to be in school, the number you will end up with is 17 and a half – from early child care to primary school to junior secondary school and then senior secondary school. You will end up with 17 and a half by the time they are ready for admission.

“So, we are not coming up with new policy contrary to what some people are saying; we are just simply reminding people of what is existing. In any case, NECO and WAEC, henceforth, will not be allowing underage children to write their examinations. In other words, if somebody has not spent the requisite number of years in that particular level of study, WAEC and NECO will not allow them to write the examination.”

The minister also stated that the age limit for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), remains set at 18 years.