By Janet Salihu
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is considering the introduction of critical thinking and life skills assessments to complement candidates’ academic performance, in a move aimed at broadening how prospective undergraduates are evaluated for tertiary education.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Segun Aina, disclosed this in Abuja during an interaction with candidates as part of the board’s 2026 Customer Week, explaining that a committee had been established to examine the feasibility of incorporating the proposed assessments into the examination system.
Aina said the initiative was intended to determine whether candidates’ reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making abilities could provide additional insight into their suitability for university education beyond their knowledge of conventional academic subjects.
“We want to introduce critical thinking and life skills into the curriculum. We have set up a committee to investigate it. They are going to investigate it for us,” he said.
The registrar explained that the committee, headed by Professor Nwogu, a psychometrician, would study the proposal before the board decides whether to proceed with implementation.
He added that if the committee recommended the proposal and JAMB management approved it, a panel of experts would be constituted to develop an implementation framework.
According to Aina, the proposed assessment would not replace existing academic requirements but would help the board explore additional ways of determining candidates’ abilities and suitability for their chosen courses.
“When you come to JAMB, we assess you again on those same subjects. The question for us now is, yes, we can reassess you, but can we be doing more? Are there other matrices on which we can assess you to try and discern more about your abilities?” he said.
Using medicine as an example, Aina argued that academic knowledge alone might not fully capture the skills required for professional practice.
“When you are talking to your medical doctor, of course you want them to have technical knowledge in terms of biology, chemistry and all of these things. But are you not interested in how they think critically, how they take decisions that affect the lives of the people that they work with subsequently?” he asked.
He disclosed that JAMB was already discussing possible partnerships with some universities to conduct a long-term study tracking students’ academic results alongside their performance in critical thinking and life skills.
Aina said the findings could help determine whether these competencies influence students’ performance in tertiary institutions and provide evidence for future admission policy decisions.
He explained that the research could also help institutions assess whether admission criteria should take account of abilities beyond conventional academic performance.
The registrar linked the proposal to the need to improve access to education and address the gap between the skills employers seek and those available in the labour market.
“Right now, there are a lot of people looking for jobs. A lot of employers also say they are looking for people. So clearly, there is a market on both ends, but there is a connect gap in the middle. So there is a skill gap,” he said.
Aina added that identifying the nature of the skills gap could help inform efforts to prepare students for employment and professional responsibilities.
Beyond the proposed assessment, the registrar said JAMB was also refining its existing policies to reduce the anxiety candidates experience during registration and admission.
He explained that the reforms were guided by two objectives: building public trust and reducing the difficulties candidates encounter when accessing the board’s services.
“All the policy optimisation that we are doing is centred around two things: building trust and reducing trauma,” he said.
Aina noted that candidates could now obtain more detailed information about the progress of their admission applications instead of being left uncertain by status notifications.
“Building trust is increasing transparency. That is why now you can see the progress with your admission status. Instead of just seeing ‘not admitted’ or ‘admission in progress’ and just waiting and being nervous and being traumatised, we now have a situation where you can see the details,” he said.
The board has also leveraged technology to make it easier for candidates to change their registered telephone numbers and email addresses, which previously posed challenges because they served as unique identifiers within its system.
On the correction of names and other personal information, Aina said JAMB had strengthened its partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to facilitate the alignment of candidates’ records.
He, however, warned that the improved flexibility must not be exploited for identity manipulation.
“If you would like to change your entire name, we will keep track of you. And if you are trying to take advantage of the system, please get ready. You will be feeling the full weight of the law in due course,” he warned.
Addressing the harmonised examination timetable, the registrar acknowledged that it would leave JAMB with less time to prepare for its examinations but said it would benefit the wider education system by helping ensure that results were released within the period required for admissions.
He maintained that the board’s responsibility extended beyond conducting examinations to ensuring that qualified candidates were considered fairly for admission.
“Don’t forget, we are popular for the exams, but the exam is not our only mandate. Our core, the exam is a means to an end. Our core is the admissions exercise itself,” Aina said.
He added that candidates should not need personal connections to secure admission, stressing that JAMB had a responsibility to promote fairness and transparency in the process.
“The people we serve don’t need to know anybody to get admission. It is our job to stand and moderate the interaction between these candidates and the institutions, and make sure they get their rightful places in the universities,” he said.
Aina described the ongoing policy adjustments as a consolidation of previous reforms rather than a complete rebranding of the board, crediting his predecessors, particularly Professor Ishaq Oloyede, with strengthening the examination system and expanding the use of technology.
He said JAMB would continue to improve its services while protecting the credibility of the admission process and ensuring that candidates could compete fairly for available spaces in tertiary institutions.
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