Nigeria’s Ministry of Education has debunked a report by The Punch Newspaper claiming that the minimum age for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1) has been raised to 12 years.
Director of Press of to the ministry, Mrs Folasade Boriowo, in statement said the report was entirely inaccurate.
She said that the information did not come from any official source and did not reflect government policy.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the minimum age for admission into JSS1 remains 10 years.” he said.
Accordingly, no child should complete primary education below the age of 10,” she said
Boriowo urged the public and education stakeholders to disregard any contrary claims.
Minimum age
The statement also quoted the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, reaffirming that the prescribed minimum age for admission into Nigerian universities is 16 years.
He emphasised that the policy was consistent, non-negotiable, and applied regardless of how early a student completed secondary school.
“The Ministry maintains that this age benchmark ensures the cognitive and emotional readiness of students for higher academic engagement,” the statement explained.
The Federal Ministry of Education urged the public, educational institutions, and media outlets to always seek clarification from official sources before acting on or publishing unverified information.
Lateefah Ibrahim