JAMB Warns Universities Against Admitting Underage Students

Jamb Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has issued a warning to tertiary institutions, particularly universities, to cease the practice of admitting underage children.

Speaking at the opening of the seventh biennial conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos, Oloyede emphasized that this ‘illegal’ practice must be halted.

The Registrar stressed that, for the sake of accountability, data protection, and the integrity of the nation, this practice needs to stop because anything irregular is illegal.

He recounted an incident from about two months ago when he received a letter from a European country seeking to verify if a 15-year-old student had actually graduated from a specific university and applied for a postgraduate course. The letter questioned the possibility of such a scenario in Nigeria.

Oloyede explained that he had to contact the Vice Chancellor of the university in question, who confirmed that the student had indeed graduated from the institution but was not admitted by JAMB. The Vice Chancellor also noted that he was not in office when the student was admitted.