- Unveils Admission Policies
By Afolabi Samuel Odunayo
The Executive Secretary of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Professor Ishiaq Oloyede has cautioned parents against pushing their children beyond the minimum age requirement for admission.
Speaking at an award presentation event organised at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, professor Oloyede clarified that the board’s age policy for entry into universities for the year remains 16.
Oloyede further highlighted the dangers associated with falsifying the age of university admission seekers.
The JAMB registrar asserted: “This year, the minimum age is 16, not 18. Fortunately,the honourable minister has agreed that this year it’ll be 16. We should get our acts right and we should agree that abnormality is becoming normal.
“How can you say 50% of the class are extra brilliant? What are we seeing at the end of the day? People are cutting corners and are acting against the interest of the students. Why do you want to prematurely produce a person that is not ready biologically?”
He stressed that the issue is not about educational attainment but about the unnecessary stress placed on students who are not mentally prepared for the rigors of the curriculum due to their young age.
“You’re putting them through unnecessary stress because such a child is not mentally prepared for the curriculum,” he added.
Oloyede further noted that the 16-year age policy is not new, but has been a long-standing requirement.
He explained:”Primary school starts from age 6 and undergo 12 years of training before going to university. It’s not a new policy. We’re just emphasizing the old policy and not creating a new one.”
He urged parents not to falsify their children’s ages to gain admission, warning that it might introduce them to corruption and criminality.
The HAMB Scribe also made it clear that there would be no admissions for students who do not meet the required age.
“For this year it’s 16 years and anybody who is less than 16 and is going to university will not be admitted even though before now, some universities like UNILAG don’t give students less than age 16 admission,” he stated.
