Reps back ban on under-18 SSCE, UTME candidates

The recent decision by the Federal Government to peg the minimum age for candidates sitting for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination may have come to stay, the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education has said.

The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman, had in July stated that with effect from 2025, any candidate below the age of 18 will not be allowed to sit the SSSCE and without which such students cannot secure admission to higher institutions of learning.

The announcement has generated heated debate among parents and education stakeholders.