Parents and education groups in Ekiti urge the Federal Government to scrap JAMB’s age restriction for university admissions.
They argue the rule unfairly blocks high-scoring underage students from accessing higher education.
Parents and education stakeholders in Ekiti State have called on the Federal Government to withdraw the age restriction policy imposed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for admission into tertiary institutions.
Under the umbrella of the Coalition of Concerned Parents, Students and Stakeholders, the group sent a letter to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, urging him to grant waivers for all qualified students who passed the 2025 JAMB examinations, regardless of their age.
The letter, signed by Adeniran Samuel and Omotayo Omokayode, warned that the policy has “deeply affected the future of young Nigerians.” It further demanded that JAMB be directed to remove portal restrictions blocking underage candidates from processing admissions.
JAMB has begun enforcing its policy requiring candidates to be at least 16 years old by August 2025 to qualify for admission.
This has raised objections among parents and civil groups, who argue that it unfairly penalizes high-performing students who completed secondary school early.
Recently, a separate pressure group, the Movement Against JAMB Injustice, staged protests at JAMB offices in Lagos and at the Ministry of Education, calling the policy unconstitutional.
The Ekiti parents argued that the rule amounts to discrimination based on birth circumstances, citing Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which guarantees freedom from discrimination. They also referenced a Delta State High Court ruling, which previously declared JAMB’s directive on underage admissions null and void.
“The JAMB policy excludes brilliant students from access to higher education while admitting older, less qualified peers. No matter the justification JAMB provides, it is constitutionally void if it denies equal opportunity,” the petition read.
The group highlighted that only 7% of candidates in the 2025 JAMB exam scored 250 or higher, making it unjust to deny admission to such rare achievers solely because of age.
“The criteria for admission should be merit, not an arbitrary age restriction. It is unfair to admit candidates with 150 as the cutoff score for universities, while rejecting those with 250 or more simply because they are younger,” they argued.
The parents suggested that if age restrictions are to be applied, they should be phased in from primary or junior secondary school, not imposed abruptly at the end of secondary education when students’ futures are at stake.
They appealed to Minister Alausa, saying: “These children are not asking for undue advantage; they are asking not to be punished for excelling early. Denying them admission dims their hope and unfairly penalizes their brilliance.”
The coalition urged the government to prioritize fairness, merit, and constitutional rights, warning that the policy could discourage academic excellence among Nigeria’s brightest students.
