Federal Ministry of Education has debunked recent reports alleging that it set a new minimum age of 12 years for admission into Junior Secondary School 1 (JSS1).
Gatekeepers News reports that earlier some media platforms had circulated claims that the ministry, through a policy document, fixed 12 years as minimum admission age into JSS1, particularly for non-state (private) schools.
The reports also suggested that the government had established three years as the minimum age for nursery school enrolment.
However, in a statement issued by the ministry’s spokesperson, Folasade Boriowo, the federal government described the reports as “entirely inaccurate” and unrepresentative of any official policy.
She emphasised that the information did not emanate from any authorised source within the ministry and should be disregarded.
Boriowo said, “For the avoidance of doubt, the minimum age for admission into JSS1 remains 10 years.”
“Accordingly, no child should complete primary education below the age of 10.”
The ministry urged the general public, school administrators, and media outlets to verify information through official channels before dissemination.
It reiterated the importance of maintaining credible communication, particularly in the education sector.
