JAMB gives polytechnics  one month to disclose candidates admitted illegally through Part-time and Dpt pre-2017

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has given tertiary institutions one month to disclose all candidates illegally admitted before 2017.

JAMB Registrar Is-haq Oloyede gave the directive at a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, saying the decision would end the ‘condonement of illegal admissions without registration number.

Mr Oloyede, a professor, cited widespread abuse of the window used to absorb illegal admissions conducted before 2017.

Mr Oloyede, represented by the agency’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, added that the position is informed by the “discovery of widespread and unwholesome practices whereby some institutions colluded with candidates to falsify vital details, such as backdated year of entry and age-adjustments, to facilitate illegal admissions and enable fake candidates to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.”

He said: “It would be recalled that CAPS was introduced in 2017 to ensure accuracy, records, transparency, accountability, fairness, and equity in admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The window (for mop-up of pre-2017 unofficial/unregistered admission) has been on now for seven years and it is now being abused.”

To address the challenge, he said the board has directed all institutions to disclose all candidates illegally admitted before 2017 within the next one month, beginning from 1 August.

“Any admission given before 2017 will no longer be recognised or condoned unless disclosed within this window. Institutions are advised to comply with this directive, as there will be no further condonement of unrecorded candidates who did not register with JAMB or sit for any entrance examination,” he added.

He noted that the move is aimed at curbing illegal admissions and falsifying records while ensuring compliance with the provision of CAPS.

Part-time, Top-up programmes

JAMB condemned the “Daily-Part-Time” (DPT) and “Top-up” (TU) programmes being offered by some polytechnics and universities, describing them as “fraudulent devices” aimed at side-lining quality and approved quota for full-time admission.