The Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) says candidates who will be aged 16 by August 2025 can be admitted to tertiary institutions.

In July, the education ministry introduced a policy adopting 18 as the minimum age for tertiary institution admissions.

It said the policy, which is to take effect in 2025, will ensure candidates are mature enough to deal with the rigours of tertiary education.

It further said candidates who do not spend the required years in primary and secondary school would not be allowed to write the SSCE.

The age policy has been critiqued, with stakeholders concerned that exceptional students could be unduly shut out of tertiary education.

JAMB had said it would admit candidates who are as young as 16 for the 2024 season while the age 18 requirement takes effect in 2025.

But in a statement on Thursday, JAMB said it learned that some institutions expect 2024/2025 admissions to run through to July 2025.

In another exception, the board said it has now agreed that candidates who will be turning 16 by August 2025 can be admitted.

The examination body instructed tertiary institutions to document their candidates who fit into this category.

“The board has taken cognizance that, due to different reasons, some institutions expect the 2024/2025 admission to run through July 2025,” the board said.

“Without compromising the standard or infringing on the individual institution’s admission policy, the board has now decided to allow any willing institution to admit candidates who will be 16 years old by the 31st of August 2025.

“This is so long as the standards set by the institution qualify such candidates but couldn’t be admitted only because of age.

“You are requested to harvest from your CAPS and send the list of candidates who would be 16 years of age between 1st of January and 31st of August 2025 who are eligible for admission (if any), not later than a week from the date on this letter to enable final decision.

“This effort is to ensure equity because those whose 2024 admission would last till August 2025 would not be unduly favoured.”

The Kebbi Government has announced the indefinite closure of the College of Health Sciences and Technology, Jega, following a violent student protest.

The Commissioner for Higher Education in the state, Alhaji Isah Abubakar-Tunga, made this known in Birnin Kebbi on Friday while briefing newsmen.

“Sequel to the violent protest that resulted in the setting ablaze the residence of the Provost of the college, Alhaji Haruna Saidu-Sauwa, we have directed that the college be shut down indefinitely,” he said.

Abubakar-Tunga said the action became imperative because if the demonstration was allowed to continue, it might escalate.

“Students are hereby advised to vacate the college premises with immediate effect.

“Their main target was the Provost, they burnt down his house and completely vandalised his car.

“When we visited the college, we only met the Registrar of the school. The Divisional Police Office (DPO) of the area told us the provost was in a safe place.

“But for the DPO’s intervention, the students would have lynched the provost,” he noted.

Abubakar-Tunga said the government asked the rioting students to nominate 10 representatives for dialogue.

“While deliberating with the students’ representatives, the students outlined some of their grievances to include; lack of accreditation of some courses of the college.

“Others they said are; lack of toilets, lack of potable water, poor sanitary environment, and bad leadership, among others.”

“The college will remain closed for three weeks to one month. Before the students return, they must come with their parents and must write an undertaking, promising to be of good behaviour.

“In this undertaking, every student must promise to pay for damaged property,” he stated.

Students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi state have set the residence of the institution’s provost on fire in a riot.

Nafiu Abubakar, the Kebbi state police PRO, confirmed the incident to TheCable on Thursday.

He said the riot, which has now been quelled, broke out at around noon.

Abubakar said a police investigation is still looking to determine what caused the unrest.

However, multiple reports claim protests had erupted on the campus over allegations that the college management extorted funds from students to the tune of N23 million.

The funds, the reports claim, were meant to cover registration fees for 250 graduating students.

It is understood that the residence of Haruna Saidu-Sauwa, the provost, was set ablaze and his vehicle was vandalised.

One report claims the controversy originated from a newly introduced public health programme.

The college, the report said, merged the programme with the college’s environmental health department to secure certification.

This reportedly led to a demand for an additional N65,000 from each student for index registration in addition to N30,000 already paid.

Accusing the management of extortion, the students responded violently by stoning vehicles and setting the provost’s residence on fire.

College staff, campus sources said, fled the scene in fear before security personnel arrived.

As of this report, the institution’s management has yet to address the public on the matter.