The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has established a national support framework for 96 gifted students admitted into Nigerian universities below the statutory age of 16, with education stakeholders describing the initiative as the first of its kind in global higher education.
The move drew widespread commendation from stakeholders on Tuesday in Abuja, where the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group convened a national engagement bringing together 283 participants under the theme, “Achieving Success in Higher Education of Underage Students Admitted in the 2025/2026 Session.”
Professor Emeritus Peter Okebukola, President of the Global University for Innovation and chair of JEOG, told journalists that JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede deserved full credit for pioneering an initiative that had no comparable model anywhere globally.
Okebukola confirmed that mentors had been individually assigned to each of the 96 underage students currently enrolled in Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 session, stressing that their success was a shared responsibility across institutions, parents, counsellors and administrators.
“Our task today is to ensure that precocity is met not with neglect or indifference, but with wisdom, structure and genuine love for the young,” Okebukola stated.
The 96 students gained admission through a four stage screening process approved by the Federal Ministry of Education, requiring a minimum score of 320 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, at least 80 per cent in post UTME examinations, at least 80 per cent in the Senior School Certificate Examination, and 80 per cent in an independent expert assessment interview.
JAMB Registrar Oloyede was clear that the admissions were “neither accidental nor sentimental,” rooting the board’s position in the 1981 National Policy on Education.
“The policy envisages progression through basic and secondary education in a manner that ordinarily places candidates for tertiary education at approximately 16 years of age. Educational progression is not merely about academic exposure, but about the total preparation of the learner for life and society,” Oloyede disclosed.
He noted that the University of Ibadan and Lagos State University maintain strict enforcement of the minimum age benchmark regardless of a candidate’s academic record.
The forum featured three technical sessions examining instructional strategies for gifted learners, psychological and emotional adjustment challenges associated with underage university life, and legal frameworks under Nigeria’s Child Rights Act governing child protection and education.
Vice chancellors, child development specialists, legal practitioners and the underage students themselves participated in the sessions, which covered counselling models, resilience building and differentiated teaching approaches tailored to young learners in tertiary environments.
Last Updated on May 13, 2026 by Ola Funmilayo
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