The Federal Government has debunked reports suggesting that it has introduced a new minimum age requirement of 12 years for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1), describing the claims as false and misleading.
In a statement on Friday, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, said the purported policy did not originate from any official government source and should be disregarded.
“The Federal Ministry of Education has noted with concern a false and misleading publication claiming that the Federal Government has set a new minimum age of 12 years for admission into Junior Secondary School 1. The Ministry categorically states that this report is entirely inaccurate, did not emanate from any official source, and does not represent government policy,” the statement read.
The ministry reaffirmed that the minimum age for admission into JSS1 remains 10 years.
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“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,” Folasade added.
The statement also clarified that the minimum age for university admission in Nigeria remains 16 years. The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, reiterated that this age benchmark is firm and non-negotiable, regardless of how quickly a student completes secondary education.
According to him, the policy is designed to ensure that students are both cognitively and emotionally mature enough to cope with the challenges of tertiary learning.
The Ministry urged the public, educational institutions, and media outlets to verify information from official government sources before publishing or acting on unconfirmed reports.
It further assured Nigerians of its continued commitment to transparent, age-appropriate educational policies aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.