By Ngozi Nwankwo
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board,JAMB, has raised alarm over the concerning trend of a strange admissions-practice labeled as “Daily- Part-Time” (DPT) by certain polytechnics and “Top Up” (TU) by some universities.
JAMB disclosed this through its media advisor,Dr. Fabian Benjamin in Abuja on Sunday.
The Board cited a recent and particularly egregious example of the advertisement placed by Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, in Oyo State, published in the Tribune on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, inviting candidates to apply for its two-year Daily Part Time (DPT) programme.
It, however ,said 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.
“They are fraudulent devices to side-line quality, approved quota for full time admission, falsify records and consequently, rake illegitimate income and derail the ambition and career of innocent (and some equally crooked) candidates. The candidates with zero or abysmally lew UTME score are rationally attracted to such contraption which would lead to nowhere.
“Part-time programmes are strictly regulated, allowing institutions to admit
only up to 150% of the approved full-time capacity. However, some institutions have been found to admit an excessive number of candidates through this unrecognized DPT programme, merging them with full-time students in classrooms and purporting to graduate them at the same time with full time students. This practice undermines the integrity of our educational system under the guise of revenue generation. We strongly advise candidates seeking admission to be cautious of such programmes and avoid them, as they are not recognized and will not be tolerated under any regularization or condoment.
” Part-time programs, by definition and regulation, are conducted on a part- time basis and distinct are from full-time programmes. Institutions, with such advertisement particularly Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, are hereby directed to retract this misleading advertisement immediately. Failure to comply will result in severe sanctions.
JAMB therefore urged all candidates to pursue education through legitimate and recognized educational pathways.
“Be reminded of the previous futile requests from candidates enrolled on such programmes to be mobilized for the National Youth Service Corps,NYSC, scheme. The program is fundamentally flawed,” it said.
Also, the examination body said it will no longer entertain absorption of illegal admissions through the window of “Condonement of Illegal Admissions without Registration number”.
The window, according to JAMB, is used to absorb, for the candidates’ sake, illegal admissions that were conducted prior to 2017.
JAMB 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 7 years and it is now being abused.
“The Board’s position is informed by the discovery of widespread and unwholesome practice whereby some institutions were colluding with candidates to falsify vital details, such as, backdated year of entry and subsequent age-adjustments, to utilise certificates of genuine candidates
with similar names to facilitate illegal admissions to enable participation of fake candidates in the National Youth Service Corps,NYSC, scheme.
“Recent worse discoveries made it imperative for the Board to speak out to save the integrity of the education system.
“In the same vein, the attention of the Board has also 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,” said the examination body.
In order to close this abused window, the Board has decided that: all institutions should now (or never) 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
JAMB said 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.
“This move is aimed at curbing illegal admissions and falsification of records, while ensuring compliance with the provisions of CAPS,” it said.
On the minimum age for admission into tertiary institution, JAMB said for the 2024 admission cycle, candidates who will be at least sixteen years old at the time of admission will be considered eligible.
It said the decision follows the directive from the Chairman of the 2024 tertiary admission policy meeting, who is also the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, that the extant policy of 6-3-3-4 be enforced only from 2025 session.
” The alarming avalanche of obviously false affidavits and upsurge of doctored upward age-adjustments on NIN slips being submitted to JAMB to upgrade recorded age is dangerous, inimical and unnecessary. Only those below 16 would not and should not be admitted in accordance with the decision of the 2024 Policy Meeting,” said JAMB.
Meanwhile, the examination body has reminded all institutions of its previous request for the disclosure of all illegitimate admissions offered to candidates outside CAP between 2017 and 2020, saying that the directive followed the waiver, on the recommendation of JAMB, by the former Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, which allowed institutions to transit to conducting all admissions exclusively through the CAPS platform from 2020. “We then opened the window of Condoment of Undisclosed Institutional Illegal Admissions (2017- 2020) Condonement of Undisclosed Illegal Institutional Admission,CUIIA.
“Regrettably, the Beard has observed that some institutions continue to admit candidates outside CAPS and subsequently apply for Condonement of Undisclosed Illegal Institutional Admissions (CUIIA). Quite embarrassing, some institutions have even been found to backdate such recent admissions to 2020 to fit within the time frame of 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,” the board warned.