Janet Samuel, Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a directive to all tertiary institutions in Nigeria, requiring them to submit a comprehensive report of all admissions processed outside of the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) before 2017, within a one-month deadline.
JAMB Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja on behalf of the board’s registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, on Sunday, said the move is aimed at injecting transparency and fairness into the admissions process.
He said, “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 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.
According to him, “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 unauthorided admissions into the system.
The Communication Advisor who was worried over institutions conniving with candidates to falsify details for illegal admissions, said it 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 period (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.
Benjamin said recent worse discoveries made it imperative for the Board to speak out to save the integrity of the education system.
While reiterating that the current minimum age for admissions remains 16, Benjamin warned that JAMB will no longer entertain absorption of illegal admissions through the “condonement of illegal admissions without a registration number.”
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.
“It is crucial to clarify that no such programmes are approved by National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) nor by National Universities Commission (NUC). Both are also alien to the education system in Nigeria.
