Candidates Under 18 Banned from WAEC and NECO Exams by FG
The Federal Government has announced that students who are too young will no longer be allowed to take the secondary school leaving exams organized by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO).
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, mentioned this during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program.
He emphasized that both WAEC and NECO will now strictly enforce an 18-year age requirement for students taking their exams.
The minister clarified that this is not a new rule but a reinforcement of existing regulations.
He explained, “The age requirement is 18. During our meeting with JAMB in July, we agreed to let students under 18 take the exam this year as a final notice to parents. However, starting next year, JAMB will require all university applicants to be at least 18 years old.”
The minister added that this policy has been in place for a long time and is based on the typical number of years a student spends in school, which usually brings them to around 17 and a half years old by the time they’re ready for university.
“So, we’re not introducing a new rule, contrary to what some people believe. We’re simply reminding everyone of the existing policy. Going forward, NECO and WAEC will not allow underage students to sit for their exams. This means that if a student hasn’t completed the required years of study, they won’t be allowed to take the exam.”
The minister also confirmed that the age limit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), managed by JAMB, remains at 18 years.
