A Nigerian education expert has raised serious concerns about the human cost of JAMB's minimum age policy, warning that hundreds of academically gifted students are being left without options due to what he describes as a poorly adapted foreign rule.

Ebenezer Mbamalu, Founder of Meclones Group, speaking to The Guardian at the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, Lagos State, disclosed that out of 599 candidates who scored above the 80% benchmark set for underage applicants, only 85 secured admission. The remaining 514, he cautioned, have been effectively shut out of the educational system.

"About 599 candidates scored above 80%, but only 85 were admitted, leaving 514 stranded. I call it 'on the streets' because no national institution can take them in due to their age. It is worrisome to see brilliant minds roaming the streets simply because the system shut its doors on them," Mbamalu stated.

The policy, announced by Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa on July 8th 2025, during a JAMB policy meeting in Abuja, bars candidates under 16 years from gaining tertiary admission. Mbamalu argued that the children being penalised had no hand in the decisions that placed them ahead of schedule academically.

"As a school owner, I know that when parents pay high fees, they expect results. Schools then push children ahead academically. Yet, neither the parents nor the schools are sanctioned. Instead, the child is punished at the end of the journey," he noted.

Mbamalu described the regulation as a copy and paste policy borrowed from Western systems without proper adjustment to Nigeria's realities. He pointed out that countries operating an 18 year benchmark also maintain structured tracking mechanisms from the point of school entry, something Nigeria currently lacks.

Among his proposed reforms, he recommended setting minimum age requirements for primary school entry, sanctioning schools that admit underage pupils, and establishing a centralised tracking system linked to the National Identification Number issued at birth.

His sharpest warning centred on the dangers of prolonged idleness for the affected students. "Some of these students scored as high as 330, yet they are left idle at home. A policy should not disrupt lives without providing solutions," he cautioned, urging JAMB to review the policy and make room for universities to accommodate qualified underage candidates.