The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has said its newly introduced Central Admissions Processing Systems CAPS, will restore the autonomy of institutions. The CAPs, according to the board, will ensure that candidates are fairly treated and expand admission opportunities as well as protect academic calendar.
The Registrar of the Board, Ishaq Oloyede, said this in Abuja on Thursday during a training and sensitisation forum on CAPs for the 2017/2018 academic session. Mr. Oloyede identified the lack of adequate space in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions as the reason why the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME is necessary. He said that JAMB is a ranking body and not an examination conducting body like WAEC, NECO and NABTEB. Mr. Oloyede condemned “under the table admission” decrying situations where Institutions admit above their stipulated capacity. He said that it is not the board that qualifies a candidate but examination bodies adding that JAMB is not a certificate awarding institution.
Mr. Oloyede emphasised that O/A level results are key qualifying requirements for admissions. He reminded Nigerians that the board will not consider any candidate unless he/she passes A/ O levels. Speaking on his decision to remit about N5 billion profit to the federal government, the highest in JAMB’s history, Mr. Oloyede said it is” the spirit of patriotism in him that made him remit the funds to the government.”
“I am a Nigerian and I am loyal to my country”, he said. After that refund, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, presided by President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the probe of past heads of JAMB and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, over what it called poor remittances in the past. The Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, who briefed council about the performances of some government agencies, said JAMB for the first time remitted N5 billion to the coffers of the government with a balance of N3 billion still to be remitted compared to maximum N3 million per annum remitted in the past.
JAMB in July announced the remittance of N5 billion to the federal government, the highest so far in 40 years of its existence. Also speaking on the 2017/2018 cut-off mark debate, Mr. Oloyede said stakeholders picked 120,110 and 100 respectively for universities and other Institutions as thresholds below which no institution can admit candidates.
He said scoring higher than the required mark does not guarantee admission but” makes candidates eligible for admission consideration.” “The cut-off mark is not ‘fail or pass mark.’ It is not total score but one of the many factors that will be used for admission.” Mr. Oloyede identified China, Iran, Republic of Georgia, Spain, Turkey as countries that share similarities with Nigeria in the conduct of the UTME. There had been controversies on the lowering of cut-off marks by the board immediately after the August policy meeting.
NAN
