Chidimma UCHEGBU
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has given all tertiary institutions in the country one month to disclose all admissions conducted outside its Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) prior to 2017.
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor for JAMB, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on behalf of the board’s registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, on Sunday, stated that the directive is aimed at enhancing transparency and fairness in the admissions process.
His words : “The attention of the Board has been drawn to the predilection of some institutions to admit candidates outside the approved Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) platform and process such through the condonement of illegal admissions window to accord legitimacy.
“In order to close this abused window, the Board has decided that: all institutions should now (or never) disclose all candidates illegally-admitted prior to 2017 whose records are in their system within the next one month beginning from 1st August, 2024; and any admission purportedly given prior to 2017 will no longer be recognised or condoned unless disclosed within this one-month window.
“Institutions are advised to comply with this directive as there will not be any further condonement of hitherto unrecorded candidates who did not even register with JAMB not to talk of sitting for any entrance examination.
“This move is aimed at curbing illegal admissions and falsification of records, while ensuring compliance with the provisions of CAPS.”
He said the decision marks the end of the Condonement of Illegal Admissions window, which previously allowed institutions to incorporate unauthorised admissions into the system.
Benjamin highlighted concerns over institutions colluding with candidates to falsify details for illegal admissions, which has led to fraudulent participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
He said despite warnings, some institutions continue to admit candidates outside CAPS and seek Condonement of Undisclosed Illegal Institutional Admissions (CUIIA).
“Consequently, the Board is terminating the aspect of CUIIA process which allows completely unregistered candidates (without registration) to be introduced to the system. CAPS is the only authorized platform for admissions. Those who even have registration but were illegally admitted between the periods (2017-2020) would soon be denied the opportunity of the waiver unless they are disclosed within the next one month.
“Therefore, all institutions are hereby directed to disclose, for the final time, all candidates admitted illegally within their systems. Moving forward, the Board will not tolerate any undisclosed admission by any institution,” he said.
Speaking further, Benjamin said recent worse discoveries made it imperative for the Board to speak out to save the integrity of the education system.
On the issue of minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions for 2024/2025 session, the board maintained that the minimum age for admission remains 16 years.
“For the 2024 admission cycle, candidates who will be at least sixteen years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible. This decision follows the directive from the Chairman of the 2024 tertiary admission policy meeting, who is also the Honourable Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, that the extant policy of 6-3-3-4 be enforced only from 2025 session.
“The alarming avalanche of obviously false affidavits and upsurge of doctored upward age-adjustments on NIN slips being submitted to JAMB to upgrade recorded age is dangerous, inimical and unnecessary. Only those below 16 would not and should not be admitted in accordance with the decision of the 2024 Policy Meeting,” he said.
He further expressed concern over the new trend of a strange admissions-practice labeled as “Daily- Part-Time” (DPT) by certain polytechnics and “Top Up” (TU) by some universities.
According to him, a recent and particularly egregious example of this is the advertisement placed by Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, in Oyo State, published in the Tribune on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, inviting candidates to apply for its two-year Daily Part Time (DPT) programme.
“It is crucial to clarify that no such programmes are approved by National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) or by National Universities Commission (NUC). Both are also alien to the education system in Nigeria.
“They are fraudulent devices to side-line quality, approved quota for full time admission, falsify records and consequently, rake illegitimate income and derail the ambition and career of innocent (and some equally crooked) candidates. The candidates with zero or abysmally low UTME score are rationally attracted to such contraption which would lead to nowhere.
“Part-time programmes are strictly regulated, allowing institutions to admit only up to 150% of the approved full-time capacity. However, some institutions have been found to admit an excessive number of candidates through this unrecognized DPT programme, merging them with full-time students in classrooms and purporting to graduate them at the same time with full time students,” he noted.
