The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has issued a stern warning to parents attempting to falsify their children’s ages to meet the minimum age requirement for university admission in Nigeria.
He cautioned that such actions could lead their children into a path of corruption and criminal behaviour.
Prof. Oloyede gave this warning during the presentation of the Academic and Research Excellence Award to Yusuf Olaolu Ali (SAN), by Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Oloyede, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, emphasized the importance of universities in promoting excellence and rewarding academic achievements.
Reflecting on the event, Oloyede remarked, “My take home from this event is to demonstrate that universities have the potential for development and part of the development is to recognize the tools for development and to encourage development.”
Addressing the issue of age limits for university admissions, the JAMB Registrar clarified that the minimum age for admission this year is 16, not 18.
He criticized the trend of cutting corners to meet these requirements, urging parents and institutions to focus on addressing the root causes of such practices.
Oloyede questioned the rationale behind pushing students into university before they are biologically ready, emphasizing that it is in the students’ best interests to adhere to the proper educational timeline.
“Primary school starts from age 6 and a child should undergo 12 years of training before going to university. It’s not a new policy. 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 queried.
He also noted that some universities, like the University of Lagos (UNILAG), have long upheld the policy of not admitting students under the age of 16, a practice he believes should be more widely adopted across the country.
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