The federal government has stated that the minimum age for JSS1 admissions for the Federal Government Colleges (FGCs), otherwise known as Unity Schools, is 10 and not 12 as being circulated in some media reports.
Folasade Boriowo, Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, in a statement on Friday, appealed to the public to disregard the false information, describing it as a calculated attempt to mislead the people, particularly the candidates.
“The Ministry wishes to categorically state that the report is entirely inaccurate, did not emanate from any official source in the Ministry, and does not reflect government policy.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the minimum age for admission into JSS1 remains 10 years. Accordingly, no child should complete primary education below the age of 10. Any suggestion to the contrary is misleading and should be disregarded by the public and all education stakeholders,” she noted in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has reiterated that the prescribed minimum age for admission into Nigerian universities is 16 years. “This policy is consistent, non-negotiable, and applies uniformly, regardless of how early a student may have completed secondary education.”
He said the age benchmark was to ensure the cognitive and emotional readiness of students for higher academic engagement.
He urged the public, educational institutions, and media organisations to always seek clarification from official channels before acting on or publishing unverified information.
He said the Ministry remains committed to ensuring transparency and developmental appropriateness in the implementation of all educational policies in line with the renewed hope agenda of the government.
Credit: The Sun