JAMB Announces Key Updates on Admissions for New Institutions

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a warning to newly established and upgraded tertiary institutions, advising them against engaging in illegal admission practices.

They emphasize the importance of following proper procedures for student enrollment. During an interactive session in Abuja on Monday with principal officers from newly established, upgraded, and adopted universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, outlined the standard procedures for student admissions via JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

He specifically highlighted the use of the ‘Marketplace’ feature to source candidates. “Any institution, whether private or public that admits a candidate illegally will face consequences,” he stated.

“We don’t want institutions to commit these offenses; some may do so out of ignorance. We aim to educate them on how to achieve their goals without violating any rules.” Oloyede also stressed the importance of institutions adopting automation, ensuring compliance, and enhancing their staff’s capacity to prevent avoidable infractions, especially as many institutions now operate in a fully digital environment.

Oloyede expressed concern about the prolonged academic sessions caused by factors like the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes, saying, “Some institutions are still going at their own pace, finishing 2021 in 2023, finishing 2022 in 2024. We are running four concurrent sessions; this would not have been possible if we had not planned it properly.”

He disclosed that over 100 new tertiary institutions had recently joined Nigeria’s higher education system. These include 22 new universities, 15 upgraded federal colleges of education with dual mandates to offer NCE and degree programs, 33 new polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 new colleges of education.

In his remarks, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), emphasized the evolving nature of the admission process and the need for new institutions to understand the system thoroughly.

Okwelle said JAMB has introduced innovative technologies to streamline the process and allow newer institutions to compete fairly with older ones. He urged the institutions to embrace these developments to enhance their performance and credibility in the education sector.