FG will enforce WASSCE and NECO age limits of eighteen years
It is against the law for anyone under the age of eighteen to sit for the National Examinations Council and West African Examinations Council tests, according to the Federal Government.
This was revealed by Education Minister Prof. Tahir Mamman during his Sunday night appearance on Channels Television’s “Sunday Politics” show.
According to Mamman, the federal government has ordered that candidates who want to sit the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC) and the Senior School Certificate Examination (NEC) must be at least 18 years old.
He replied that this was not a novel policy.
He also stated that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination still has an 18-year-old age limit for applicants.
“It is 18 (years),” he stated. In our July meeting with JAMB, we decided to allow this year and use it as a kind of notice to parents that, starting next year, JAMB will insist that all applicants seeking to attend a Nigerian university be at least eighteen years old.
To clear up any confusion, this is an established policy that has been in place for a while.
“Even if you calculate how long students and learners should attend school, the total comes to 17.5 years, which includes early childhood care, primary school, junior secondary school, and senior secondary school. After all is said and done, you will have seventeen and a half.
Therefore, in contrast to what some people are saying, we are not creating new policies—rather, we are merely reminding people of what already exists. Regardless, children under the age of majority will no longer be permitted to take examinations administered by NECO or WAEC.
Stated differently, an individual will not be permitted to write the exam by WAEC or NECO if they have not dedicated the necessary number of years to that specific level of study.
