Parents in Ekiti State have appealed to the Federal Government (FG) to overturn the new age restriction policy introduced by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for admission into universities and other tertiary institutions.
The call was made in a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and jointly signed by Adeniran Samuel and Omotayo Omokayode on behalf of the Coalition of Concerned Parents, Students and Stakeholders.
The letter was released to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday.
The group urged the minister to direct JAMB to remove the online restriction that bars candidates under 16 years of age from processing their admission, saying the rule unfairly punishes gifted children who passed the 2025 examination.
According to the coalition, the age limit amounts to discrimination based on birth circumstances and contravenes Section 18(1) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees equal access to education without bias.
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They recalled that a Delta State High Court had previously nullified a similar directive by JAMB, stressing that implementing such a policy now would only further jeopardise the future of many outstanding students.
The parents also pointed out that with the low pass rate recorded in the 2025 examination, it was unjust to disqualify candidates who scored above 70 per cent on the grounds of age, while admitting others who only met the minimum cutoff.
“The criteria for admission should be merit, not an arbitrary age restriction, which gives older applicants who scored 150, the cutoff for universities, an edge over them,” the group noted.
They suggested that if the government intends to adopt an age policy, it should be phased in from the basic education level and not imposed at the terminal stage of secondary school.
“These children are not asking for undue advantage; they are simply asking not to be punished for excelling early. Denying them admission today dims their hope, weakens their morale, and unfairly penalises their brilliance.
