The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede says 557,626 candidates from 1.8 million applications have been admitted into tertiary institutions across the country in its 2022 admission processes.
Oloyede said this at the 2023 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Abuja Saturday.
Oloyede said that the 2022 admission process is still ongoing due to opportunities given to some key players in the sector to conduct admissions.
The registrar, who discredited notions from the public that admissions were given by JAMB, said admission depended on the availability of candidates five 0’level requirements as UTME was only meant for admission ranking.
”As at June 19, tertiary institutions have admitted 557,626 candidates but as we speak today, the admission is up to 600,000 as we target about 700,000. This is because admission is still ongoing.
”We hear about cut-off marks by JAMB but the truth is, that is not the best candidate who scored the highest mark in UTME that is the best candidate.
”Admission is based on the five O’level results that a candidate possesses because we only make use of UTME for admission ranking. JAMB has not initiated admissions since 2016,” he said.
Speaking on gaps in admission vacancies and why candidates were not admitted, Oloyede said rigidity of programme choice and mismatch of demand and supply were responsible.
He also listed lack of interest for existing vacancies and trail-candidates (No o’level results or awaiting results) as responsible for admission gaps in the tertiary institutions.
He, therefore, said that the onus lied with institutions to determine the National Minimum Tolerable UTME score, often called the ‘Cut-off marks’.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo, urged the stakeholders to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability in the admission processes which determined the fate of millions of students.
Adejo called on admission stakeholders to ensure credibility in the process so that no candidate would be denied admission as well as no deserving candidate was given admission.
”The Federal Ministry of Education has resolved that the fundamental principle of the ministry is openness and this has been provided by JAMB through inclusiveness in the UTME.
”JAMB must ensure sanity and integrity of exams and admission must be based on agreed guidelines to deepen accountability, transparency and fairness.
” Criteria for admissions remained critical by JAMB and all institutions must abide by them as we need to stick to the approved quota for admission,” he said.
The policy meeting had in attendance representatives from the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Vice Chancellors of Universities and Rectors of Polytechnics.
Others are Provosts of Colleges of Education (COE), Registrars and Admission Officers of tertiary institutions, Heads of Federal Agencies, National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).
