FG To Enforce 18-Year Age Limit For WAEC And NECO Exams
Underage Candidates Barred from Writing NECO, WAEC Exams — Education Minister
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has announced that underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for secondary school leaving examinations in Nigeria. This decision was revealed during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program.
Mamman emphasized that the Federal Government has directed both the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which conducts the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), and the National Examinations Council (NECO), responsible for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), to enforce an age limit of 18 years for candidates. This directive also applies to the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
“The age limit for writing the UTME remains 18 years,” the minister stated. “In our meeting with JAMB in July, we decided to allow candidates below this age to sit for the exam this year as a grace period. However, from next year, JAMB will strictly enforce the age requirement of 18 years for university admissions.”
Mamman clarified that this is not a new policy but a longstanding requirement that has not been consistently enforced. He explained that if the standard educational timeline is followed, students should naturally reach the age of 17 and a half by the time they are ready to take these exams.
“The policy is clear: NECO and WAEC will no longer permit underage students to write their examinations. If a student has not spent the required number of years in the relevant educational levels, they will not be allowed to take the exams,” Mamman reiterated.
The minister also provided a breakdown of the expected educational timeline: early childhood care from birth to five years, six years in primary school starting at age six, three years in junior secondary school starting at age 12, and three years in senior secondary school starting at age 15. By this timeline, students would be 18 years old when they are ready to enter university.
