He Joint Board of Admissions and Matriculation (JAMB) has announced that candidates seeking direct entry admission to any Nigerian university will now be able to take the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Prior to the new development, only candidates without a diploma or other requirement for direct entry can apply to UTME for admission to universities. But holders of direct entry admission requirements can only register without taking exams.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday and signed by its Head of the Public Affairs and Protocol Unit, Fabián Benjamín, JAMB said that in the future, direct entry candidates would have to present themselves to UTME as their fellow first-year applicants. year, to prove the authenticity of the certificates they present for direct entry admission.
JAMB said the new development is part of measures to curb bad practices already identified with direct entry applications.
This is because the review body has once again remitted the sum of N2 billion to the Nigerian government cover, saying it is the interim surplus for the operating year 2023.
About UTME for DE Candidates
According to the JAMB statement, the decision was made at the management committee meeting held “to assess the recent crisis witnessed in the realization of the 2023 Direct Entry registration.” It added that the apparent crisis was caused by the implementation of some of its “recently adopted processes intended to curb violations in the admissions value chain given our national peculiarities.”
The JAMB statement reads in part: “Another important policy change that will also be implemented by the Board to comprehensively address all loopholes that give rise to abuse in the Direct Entry admissions processes is that all DE candidates, including those seeking to be in Year Two at the university would henceforth be required to take the UTME Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination along with other candidates to prove possession of their A’ level certificates.
“This policy should fall within the scope of the Board’s tireless efforts to enhance the growth of the nation’s education sector, as it would promote transparency, accountability, and good governance. It also underscores the Board’s commitment and determination to change the negative narrative of A-level admissions to higher institutions in Nigeria.”
In remittances of N2 billion
The review body said that with the new N2 billion deposited in the federal government’s Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), around N55 billion has been remitted to the government in the past six years of its current leadership.
He said this is contrary to less than N60 million ever remitted to the government in its first 38 years or so.
JAMB said the feat is to further the commitment of its registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, to harness technology and discipline in managing the affairs of the examination agency.
JAMB said: “On taking over as the current Registrar, he came up with a policy that whatever gets done needs to be on the table. This has changed the narratives such that JAMB now posts huge returns to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). These returns were bolstered by the Board’s expanded internal capabilities for its operations achieved through direct execution of its processes and procedures, instantly resulting in, for example, savings of N1.2 billion paid annually to a service provider and a downward revision of (the) N1.2 billion paid annually to another to around N400 million with the same old service provider. This is on top of the recovery of over N1.2 billion in both cash and property in select areas of Abuja, in 2016.
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“It was these steps, and many others, that ensured that a Board, which had cumulatively remitted in its 40 years of existence around N55 million to the national treasury, delivered N7.8 billion in the first year of Prof. Oloyede and has since contributed more than N27 billion directly to the national treasury.
“The amount remitted is without prejudice to the 30 per cent reduction in your application fee (N10.8 billion in 4 years from the reduction), Equity Fund (N11 billion, including N6 billion, not yet committed), Annual Awards/Grants to Tertiary Institutions for Capital Projects (Naira 1 billion) and Staff Welfare Special Scheme (Naira 2 billion). This would add the cumulative surplus to around N54 billion over the last six years.”
Criticism of income generation
While many have praised JAMB for its prudence and better service delivery, other stakeholders have criticized what they described as turning the examination body into a “revenue generating agency”.
According to one parent, Abiodun Bello, rather than flaunt excess funds, “it would be appropriate for JAMB to further reduce the cost of its UTME forms, among other services.
“To get a consultation at the JAMB headquarters, candidates need to raise what they tagged on the dossiers which cost around N1,500. Changing courses or changing institutions with just one click costs between N2,000 and N2,500. Instead of imposing these fees on poor parents, why not make services free, Mr. Bello said.
Other critics, such as the NANS leadership, also called for the resignation of JAMB’s registrar recently, accusing the leadership of making “what seems simple complex.”