The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has introduced a new policy for underage candidates who want to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
According to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, exceptionally brilliant candidates under the age of 16 will be required to undergo four additional examinations before securing admission into their preferred institutions.
To qualify, these candidates must sign an indemnity letter before taking the UTME. Prof. Oloyede explained that this policy was implemented to identify and provide opportunities to exceptionally brilliant underage candidates.
Initially, JAMB considered blocking candidates under 16 from taking the UTME, but this would have denied gifted students a chance to excel.
As of Monday, 4,997 candidates under the age of 16 had registered for the UTME. Prof. Oloyede warned parents against using their children for selfish ambitions and emphasized the need for candidates to meet the required standards to avoid sanctions.
In addition to the new policy, Prof. Oloyede issued a stern warning to Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre operators against blank registrations, false allegations against JAMB, data violations, and night registrations. Six CBT centres were sanctioned for blank registrations and attempted exam malpractice, and the responsible staff were blacklisted from future JAMB activities.
The 2025 UTME registration began on February 3, 2025, and will close on March 8, 2025. Candidates are advised to register on time and ensure they meet the required standards to avoid any issues during the admission process.
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