The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a directive to all institutions to disclose within one month the details of all candidates they illegally admitted prior to 2017, or risk losing recognition and condonment privileges.
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board’s Public Communication Advisor, announced this while briefing journalists at the board’s headquarters on Sunday in Abuja.
Benjamin stated that JAMB has resolved to no longer entertain the absorption of illegal admissions by institutions through the “Condonment of Illegal Admissions” window without registration numbers. This move aims to curb illegal admissions, prevent the falsification of records, and ensure compliance with the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
“All institutions are reminded that JAMB had previously requested the disclosure of all illegitimate admissions offered to candidates outside CAPS between 2017 and 2020 due to abuse of the window,” Benjamin said.
“This directive followed the waiver on the recommendation of JAMB by the former Minister of Education, which allowed institutions to transition to conducting admissions exclusively through the CAPS platform in 2020. We then opened the window of Condonment of Undisclosed Institutional Illegal Admissions (CUIIA) from 2017 to 2020.
Regrettably, the board has observed that some institutions have continued to admit candidates outside CAPS and subsequently apply for this CUIIA. This is quite embarrassing as some institutions have been found to backdate such recent admissions to 2020 to fit within the time frame of CUIIA. Consequently, the board is terminating the aspect of the CUIIA process that allows completely unregistered candidates to be introduced to the system.”
CAPS is the only authorised platform for admissions. Candidates who were illegally admitted between 2017 and 2020 but have registration numbers will soon be denied the opportunity of the waiver unless they are disclosed within the next month. The period of disclosure begins from August 1.
Benjamin emphasized that the board would no longer tolerate any undisclosed admissions by any institution. He urged candidates to pursue education through legitimate and recognized means to avoid falling victim to illegitimate admissions. He also advised candidates seeking admission to be cautious of illegitimate and unrecognized part-time programs, which will also not be tolerated under “regularization or condonment.”
Benjamin clarified that the board distances itself from the trending and strange admissions practices by some institutions, such as “daily part-time” programs by some polytechnics and “Top-up” programs by some universities. “It is crucial to clarify that no such programs are approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) or the National Universities Commission (NUC),” he said. Both programs are alien to the education system in Nigeria, and any attempt to enroll in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme with such qualifications would be flawed and futile.
He reiterated the board’s decision that only candidates who are at least 16 years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible for the 2024 admission cycle. This decision follows the directive from Prof. Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education and chairman of the 2024 tertiary admissions policy meeting, that the 6-3-3-4 policy will be enforced from 2025. “Only those below 16 years will not and should not be admitted in accordance with the decision of the 2024 Policy meeting,” Benjamin concluded.
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