The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, on Thursday, faced vocal protests from stakeholders and attendees at a Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board policy meeting.

The outcry followed his declaration that only candidates aged 18 and above would henceforth be admitted to tertiary institutions in the country.

The announcement, made at the Body of Benchers’ auditorium in Abuja, prompted immediate and loud objections from the audience, who chanted, “No, no, no.”

Despite the uproar, Prof. Mamman maintained that the age requirement was a federal government policy aimed at addressing key issues within tertiary institutions, particularly universities.

However, in response to the intense protest, the Minister conceded to set the 2024 admission age at 16, allowing students who participated in the 2024 UTME but were under 18 to gain admission.

Also at the meeting, JAMB announced the admissions cut-off marks for universities at 140, and for polytechnics and Colleges of Education at 100.

JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede emphasised that no university, polytechnic, or college of education should admit candidates who do not meet these minimum cut-off requirements.

RN