The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board has cautioned newly established and upgraded tertiary institutions against engaging in illegal admission practices, urging them to follow due process in student enrolment.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, issued the warning during an interactive session held in Abuja on Monday with principal officers of newly established, upgraded, and adopted universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
Speaking at the session, Oloyede explained the standard procedures for student admissions through JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System, particularly emphasizing the use of the ‘Marketplace’ feature to source candidates.
“Whoever admits a candidate illegally, whether private or public institution, will be dealt with,” he stated. “We don’t want them to commit the offence; some of them ignorantly commit the offence. We are now exposing them to how to get and achieve their desire without violating any of the rules.”
Oloyede also stressed the need for institutions to embrace automation, enhance compliance, and build the capacity of their staff to avoid avoidable infractions, especially as many of them now operate in a fully digital environment.
He expressed concern about the prolonged academic sessions caused by factors such as the Academic Staff Union of Universities strikes, stating, “Some institutions are still going at their own pace, finishing 2021 in 2023, finishing 2022 in 2024. We are running four concurrent sessions; this would not have been possible if we had not planned it properly.”
Oloyede disclosed that over 100 new tertiary institutions had recently joined Nigeria’s higher education system. These include 22 new universities, 15 upgraded federal colleges of education with dual mandates to offer NCE and degree programs, 33 new polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 new colleges of education.
In his remarks, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education, emphasized the evolving nature of the admission process and the need for new institutions to understand the system thoroughly.
Okwelle stated that JAMB has introduced innovative technologies to streamline the process and allow newer institutions to compete fairly with older ones. He urged the institutions to embrace these developments to enhance their performance and credibility in the education sector.
