The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said exceptionally brilliant candidates below 16 years can now sit for its annual Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
UTME 2025: JAMB opens window for brilliant under-16 candidates
Is-haq Oloyede, the registrar of the board, revealed this during Inside Sources, a Sunday news programme on Channels TV.
Oloyede, in his interview, said the board has created what he described as the “exceptionally brilliant window” that will create a room for gifted under-16 candidates to write the UTME.
“In Nigeria, there are many brilliant students, we have so many excellent people,” the registrar said.
“We are enforcing the 16-year minimum entry into tertiary institutions but some people are saying there are exceptional students. Yes, there are exceptional students but they are just one in a million.
“We are saying 16 years is the minimum but if you know you are exceptional, register for exceptional candidacy – that is you are less than 16 years old and exceptional.
UTME 2025: “Over 2,000 underage candidates register for special entry
Meanwhile, Oloyede shared concerns about the ongoing registration for JAMB’s special entry and lamented that over 2,000 underage candidates registered for JAMB’s new “exceptionally brilliant window.
He also expressed concerns about the rise of parents falsifying records to fast-track their children’s education.
Oloyede stated thus:
“I’m surprised, just from Monday to now, over 2,000 have registered in the whole country. Some of them are 10, 11, and 12-year-olds whose parents have found crooked ways of jumping classes.”
Recall that Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, said the ministry is looking to set 16 years as the minimum entry age for tertiary institutions.
He said a limit of 16 years would be maintained for students who prove to be exceptionally intelligent.
JAMB releases cost implication for 2025 UTME/DE registration
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that JAMB issued a fresh information about 2025 UTME/DE registration.
JAMB released the breakdown of cost implications for students preparing to register for the 2025 UTME/DE.
Nigerians have taken to social media to react to the breakdown of cost implications for the 2025 UTME/DE registration.
