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Tag: Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB

UTME 2017: JAMB meets with CBT centre owners

Arrangements have been concluded to have an interaction between the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and owners of Computer Based Test (CBT) centres in the country ahead of the 2017 UTME.

This statement was made by the board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made the disclosure in a statement made available to journalists on Monday in Lagos.

According to the statement, the meeting which comes up on Tuesday at the University of Lagos is to fine tune all areas of challenges geared towards conducting a hitch-free examination in 2017.

It said that the meeting would determine the number of centres to be used for 2017 all CBT Unified Tertiary Matriculation Board (UTME) exercise.

“These are centres that must have a minimum of 250 and above terminals (computers).

“We will not hesitate to disqualify any centre that falls short of the requirements,’’ the statement said.

“We will equally not compromise on the selection of these centres as they will fully be responsible for our registration and examinations and other related responsibilities that they will be saddled with from time to time as we introduce new measures.’’

It added that the board decided to come face to face with owners of these centre to ensure it got first-hand information on the challenges they were faced with in the course of the examinations.

“As partners in progress, we need to sit down on a round table and tell each other the truth so as to get to the root of all the hiccups.

“We should all feel concerned even if it was just one centre that had challenges or hitches during the conduct of the last examination.

“Nigerians expect a lot from us and we must strive not to fail them.

“We are looking at strengthening what was done holistically to improve on the previous exercises,’’ the statement quoted the board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede as saying.

It added that the board was committed to giving Nigerians globally accepted standard in the conduct of the examinations.

The statement said that the board would commence the sale of application forms soon and urged prospective candidates not to patronise any self-acclaimed agent as the board had not and would not appoint any.

It urged candidates to always visit the board’s website for information.

The statement noted that in a few months, the board had been working tirelessly on processes that were connected to the conduct of the examination.

It added that the board had taken stock of all the challenges that were recorded during the 2016 exercise, especially CBT centre related issues.

It said the board had resolved to give every Nigerian child desirous of tertiary education a level playing ground to compete for the available space in these tertiary institutions.

“We are mindful of the fact that any child that writes in a dysfunctional centre is at disadvantage.

“All candidates must have same conditions, atmosphere and working facilities,’’ the statement said.

December 12, 2016
JAMB adopts pin vending for 2017 UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will adopt “pin vending” for the 2017 UTME test, advising intending candidates to get familiar with the new approach.

Dr Fabian Benjamin, the board’s Head of Media and Information, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that it would no longer use scratch cards.

“Candidates, wishing to sit for the 2017 examination, should start getting themselves familiar with the newly adopted process of pin vending by the board.

“We must make ourselves open to change like it is obtained in other climes.

“We are no longer going back to the use of scratch card; that method is outdated.

“Candidates wishing to register for the examination will just make online payment and get a pin with which they can upload their data.

“This new pin vending will be accessible through the options of web payment, ATM issued cards like Visa, Verve, and Master card, online Quick Teller, mobile application and Bank Branch case/card.’’

Benjamin assured that the board was working hard to redress all challenges experienced by candidates during its 2016 UTME as it was preparing for the 2017 diet.

He said that all hands were on deck to ensure a hitch free conduct of the examination across the country.

“Preparations are on to ensure that all the technical hitches that manifested in the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) do not arise again.

“That is not to say that the examination will be completely hitch-free.

“But we are deploying resources to correct the ones identified already.

“In the course of the examination, should there be any other new challenges, we will act promptly.’’

The spokesman also said that the board would begin validation of UTME centres across the country soon.

“We shall be going round to the proposed centres to check the state of their facilities and also to ensure that such facilities could accommodate a minimum of 250 candidates,’’ he said.

NAN reports that some candidates, who sat for the 2016 examination, complained of various technical hitches.

Such challenges ranged from incomplete upload of questions from servers to poor backup facilities in some centres among others.

NAN also recalls that the board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, recently announced the scrapping of the use of scratch card, describing it as outdated.

He said the board decided to do away with the method because of its consistent subjection to fraudulent practices.

November 2, 2016
Senate suspends amendment of JAMB Act

…Backs examination body to improve on success

The Senate on Wednesday said it has suspended the amendment of the Act establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in order to allow for adequate consultation with stakeholders.

The red chamber had approved the extension of the validity of the results of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) being conducted by JAMB to three years.

The decision, the senate had said, was granted to reduce the financial burden of the examination on parents, students and JAMB.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), Senator Aliyu Wamakko, confirmed the suspension to reporters during an oversight visit to the headquarters of JAMB in Abuja.

Wamakko, who was represented by Senator Ajayi Boroffice, stated that the senate would not make any laws that would impede on the progress of any institution.

He said: “Your JAMB result is only valid for one year and we thought it will be better for it to be valid at least for three years. It will reduce the burden on the parents, on the students themselves even on the institution that is conducting the test. I think it is what is good for all of us and I don’t think the public will reject it.

“As I said we don’t make laws for an individual or for the senate. We make law for the country in the interest of all of us. A bill must not necessarily be at the convenience of a particular organization, having said that, since we don’t want to make a law that will impede the progress of any institution we are bound to listen to what they are saying. We are bound to listen to them.”

Wamakko, who is representing Sokoto North Senatorial District, commended JAMB for the progress it has recorded so far, urging the examination body to improve on its successes.

“I think JAMB has made so much progress over the years and all we can say is that they should continue to improve on their performance because the lives of millions of Nigerians will depend on them and I hope the confidence they will repose in them they will be able to justify it. We are happy with our visit, we are happy with the registrar, we are happy with the management and I think we are happy with ourselves too,” he added.

Responding, JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, said he was happy the senate listened to its appeal to suspend the amendment of its Act.

Prof. Oloyede urged members of the House of Representatives and the Executive to tow the line of the senate by giving room for consultation with stakeholders.

According to him, the extension of its UTME result to three years would do more harm than good.

He said: “I believe that they must have considered so many things before coming to that conclusion at that time but my appeal is to the other legs – the House of Representatives and to the President that it will do more harm to the students than good.

“One problem I find is that when there is a problem rather than studying the problem and look for strategy to solving them we will jump into conclusion which is more dangerous than the original problem.

“When you look at the issue of three years somebody mentioned that that is what is done in Britain and US. There is a basic difference. They are conducting aptitude test and aptitude test will last longer. We are conducting achievement test and you can’t compare the two. If you want to go in that direction why not but there will be change of infrastructure, everything will be in place. You don’t midway into a system.

“For instance when you make that type of law you have not contacted NUC to say ‘NUC change your syllabus.’ You want to admit somebody you conduct the exam today the intension is to test the ability of the student to cope with university education at the 100 Level for instance. If they change the syllabus our exam must change and that will not synchronize with your three years. You will having a set of students who are tested for a programme different from the one they are doing.”

Oloyede blamed the lack of admission of students by institution on mismatch.

According to him, the policy to allocate 60/40 for sciences and art for admission by universities does not support the school system which produces 80 per cent art students and 20 per cent science students.

This, he said, does not allow the institutions to fulfill their admission quota every year.

“When you talk about students not been admitted, it is because of mismatch and when you say for instance most of the universities must take 60 science 40 arts and in some cases it goes as far as 70/30 and you have these policies in place but you are producing from the school system 80% art, 20% science and you want all of them to go.

“The question I want the legislators to ask is: ‘why is it that we are not filling our quota every year?’ That is where to start because we are not filing the quota. It is not a matter of space alone. There are other issues. There is systemic issue that should be addressed. Making such a law will not be helpful in anyway,” he stated.

October 26, 2016
JAMB set to upload names of successful candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it will soon commence the uploading names of candidates who have been offered admission into tertiary institution on their website.

The board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

According to him, the board will ensure that Nigerian children are not unjustly denied admission in any institution of their choice.

He said that the names of candidates that had satisfactorily met the admission rules and regulations of the institutions and that of the Federal Government would be uploaded soon.

“We have just concluded a five-day Technical Committee meeting on Admission that started on Aug. 22 at the Bayero University Kano.

“A lot was deliberated upon and at the end everything came out successful.

“We have ensured that the admissions are done in line with the set rules and regulations as provided by the Federal Government and the various institutions.

“We are aware that the function of admission of candidates is solely the job of the Senates of institutions and what we do as a board is to see the guidelines used in admitting the candidates and ensure ratification.

“We are passionate about ensuring that no candidate that meets any of the admission rules and guidelines as provided by both the institution and government is denied admission for whatever reason,’’ he said.

The Registrar of the board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had at the opening of the meeting said that admissions would be carried out based on guidelines approved for each institution by their respective proprietors.

He also said that preference expressed for the institutions and courses by the candidates would also be followed.

August 26, 2016
JAMB assures of smooth 2016 admission process

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has assured that the 2016 admissions into the country’s tertiary institutions will be smooth.

This is contained in a statement issued by JAMB on Tuesday.

Oloyede spoke at the opening of the first technical committee meeting on the 2016 admissions to first choice institutions, which opened at the Bayero University, Kano, on Monday.

He said that the only difference between 2016 admission process and what had been the practice was the policy that there should be no written Post-UTME test.

The registrar said that all other processes would be the way they have always been.

“It is more pleasant to me that in the almost four decades of JAMB, this is the first time that the technical meeting will hold in Kano.

“Every year the board convenes meeting for placement of suitably qualified candidates into tertiary institutions, taking into consideration vacancies available.

“It also considers guidelines approved for each institution by their respective proprietors.

“The meeting also looks at the preference expressed for the institutions and courses by the candidates,’’ Oloyede said.

He said that the senates of each institution have the prerogative of admitting candidates to their respective schools subject only to national policies.

The policies guidelines stipulated by the proprietors of the institutions must adhere to the 60:40 science/art ratios for conventional universities and 80:20 science/art ratios for non-conventional universities.

He added that the guidelines also include 70:30 technology/non-technology ratios for national diploma awarding institutions, among others.

“The institutions must adhere strictly to subject combinations of various courses as specified by the respective Senates and included in the 2016 UTME brochure.

“Institutions are expected to adhere to the 2016 admissions quota as prescribed by the regulatory bodies like the National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education and the National Commission for Colleges of Education.

“For federal universities, the criteria stipulated by the Federal Executive Council, concerning merit, catchment and educationally less developed states, should be complied with.’’
Oloyede further said that in the discharge of this national assignment, it was important that stakeholders act with focus on what was beneficial to the largest number of Nigerians.

“We must avoid adding to the burden of our people who rightly yearn for higher education as a veritable means of active participation in public life.

“While urging us to work hard and exhibit commitment, synergy and cooperation between the board and the institutions, I assure you all that the hands of fellowship, which my predecessors have extended to the institutions, would be strengthened for the advancement of national goals.

“My immediate past predecessor, Prof. ‘Dibu Ojerinde, in particular and others in general, have lifted the board to an enviable standard of international repute and we cannot afford to do less.

“The task of JAMB is coordination and not substitution of the traditional responsibilities of the Senates of tertiary institutions.

“Consequently, no candidate must emanate from any other source (JAMB inclusive) outside the list prepared and recommended by the institutions,’’ Oloyede added.

He, however, said that JAMB had the right to reject candidates for non-compliance with extant rules and regulations but would not be allowed to substitute or originate any names without the prior concurrence of the institutions.

The registrar tasked institutions to ensure that the admissions exercise was concluded before or by the approved deadline of Nov. 30.

August 23, 2016
POST JAMB: UNILAG set to screen candidates

The University of Lagos on Monday says it will go ahead with its screening of prospective candidates for admission into the 2016/2017 academic session as scheduled.

The institution’s Deputy Registrar, (Information), Mr Toyin Adebule, said this in an interview with the news men in Lagos.

Adebule gave the university’s position against the backdrop of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) withdrawing the list of recommended candidates for admission, earlier sent to the various universities.

JAMB in the statement signed by its Head of Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, stated that the withdrawal was to ensure that the senate of each of the universities performs its statutory functions.

News agency of Nigeria reports that UNILAG had, last month, announced that it would begin screening candidates, who chose the institution as their first choice with a cut-off point of 200 and above, between Wednesday Aug. 3, 2016 and Aug. 24, 2016.

‎”We want to inform the public that our screening, for candidates that will be admitted for the 2016/17 academic session, will still hold scheduled from Aug. 3, 2016 to Aug. 24, 2016.

“It is true that JAMB had sent a list to us, which it had considered as those who met our cut-off point.

“It is this same list that it had withdrawn to allow the universities carry out their admission process as required by the law setting up their senates.

“There are statutory functions meant for all university senates, among which admissions is part one.

“It is only after selecting the candidates for admission that the senate refers the list to JAMB for confirmation in line with the admission criteria of merit, catchment and educationally disadvantaged states.

“And so, it is only proper for JAMB to have taken this step, realising that it had taken over the job of the universities’ senates,’’ he told NAN.

Adebule, however, added that the withdrawal of the list did not interfere with UNILAG’s proposed plan to screen its candidates.

He reiterated that candidates would be screened based on the authenticity of their results and their course combination.

August 1, 2016
JAMB releases guidelines for admission

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Monday announced the release of its guidelines for admission process this year.

The announcement followed a week of meeting with universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Announcing the guidelines on its website, the board said that the modalities was going to be based on point system.

The board, which explained how the admission process would work‎ for JAMB candidates and direct entry students, also stated that universities were going to charge fees for screening of candidates at the end of the process for admission.

According to the board, the new method uses a point system, which is divided into other processes, that is easy to understand.

For instance, it noted among others: “Before a candidate can be considered for screening, he/she must have been given provisional admission by JAMB. The JAMB admission checker portal is going to be opened soon for this process, so praying is all you can do now,” the statement on JAMB’s website said.

The second process, the board said, was the point system where admission would depend on the point tally of the candidate.

“JAMB’s provisional admission no longer makes much sense this year, your points tally will decide your faith.

“The points are evenly spread out between your O’level and JAMB results to provide a level playing field for all.

“In the first case, any candidate who submits only one result which contains his/her relevant subjects already has 10 points, the exam could be NECO, WAEC, GCE etc, but any candidate who has 2 sittings only gets 2 points. So this means that aspirants with only one result are at an advantage but only just,” the statement said.

The board explained that the next point grades fell into the O’level grades where each grade has it’s equivalent point; A=6 marks, B=4 marks, C=3 marks, so the better the candidates’ grades, the better his or her chances of securing admission this year.

The next point is the UTME scores where each score range has its equivalent point which can be summarized thus, 180-200=20-23 marks, 200-250=24-33 points, 251-300=34-43, 300-400=44-60 points.

Giving a breakdown, JAMB explained that each categories contains five JAMB results per point added. For example a candidate with 180-185 gets 20 points, a candidate with 186-190 gets 21 points etc, adding that ‎points system for direct entry will be released soon.

The board stated that fees would still be charged for screening which has replaced the Post UTME.

“It then comes down to the fact that fees will still be charged for screening, it depends on the school as well,” the statement said.

‎It also disclosed that catchment and ELDS will still be used!

“Merit contains 45% of the total candidates for a particular course, Catchment contains 35% and ELDS and staff lists contains the rest.

“Cut off marks will be released by schools this year in the form of points and not marks. If a school declares it’s cut off mark for Medicine as 90 points and JAMB grants a candidate with 250 a provisional admission but his/her total points falls short of the 90 points, then he/she will lose the admission. So the provisional admission is just a means to an end, not the end in itself,” the statement added.

July 4, 2016
FG scraps post UTME
- Pegs cut-off at 180
The Federal Government Thursday scrapped the conduct of post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) for candidates seeking admission into higher institution.

The government explained that all tertiary institutions were at liberty to conduct screening for candidates seeking admission into any school.

Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said this on Thursday in Abuja after declaring open the 2016 Combined Policy Meeting on Admissions to Universities, Polytechnics and other higher institutions in Nigeria.

Adamu, expressed confidence in the examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), adding that there was no need for other examination to be conducted by universities after JAMB.

He said: “As far as I am concerned the nation has confidence in what JAMB is doing. The universities should not be holding another examination and if the universities have any complain against JAMB let them bring it and then we address it.

“If JAMB is qualified enough to conduct tests and they have conducted test then there will be no need to conduct another test for students to gain admission.”

The Minister also asked the JAMB to stop extra charges on several categories of changes on admissions such as the change of course, change of school and others.

Meanwhile, the JAMB has pegged the cut – off mark for admission for 2016 at 180.

The 180 benchmark, applies to all universities and higher institutions in the country, including polytechnics, colleges of education, and others.

JAMB’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, after a long debate with delegates from various institutions, told journalists that no institution would go below the 180 cut-off set by the board.

He said: “180 is given, no institution will go below 180 this year, And some universities can go above it, I know University of Ife will not go below 200 and University of Lagos will not go below 200 and also UI. All these ones stand but 180 as bench mark for others.

“This year we have more than enough candidates, we have over 1.5 million candidates so we will get enough candidates to take in all the schools if they are serious. Re-distribution is already ongoing, because it is embedded in the registration procedure.”
June 2, 2016
Reps panel backpedals on use of CBT by JAMB

House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education yesterday backpedalled on the use of computer-based test (CBT) by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions.

The committee had earlier rejected the system.

The House, in its sitting, had urged the Federal Government to direct JAMB to revert to the paper and pencil test (PPT) for candidates taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), following protests over the use of CBT.

Chairman, House Committee on Basic Education, Zakari Muhammed during a visit to one of the centres in Bwari, FCT, Abuja yesterday, told reporters that the use of CBT was in line with global practice to sanitize the education system

He noted that the House never took a position on the use of CBT by JAMB.

Muhammed added that the House only discussed the conduct of the examination by the board.

He said those who wrote the examination outside Nigeria were leveraging on the flexibility and advantage of CBT.

According to him, the use of PPT by candidate was cumbersome and characterized with several irregularities and unwholesome activities.

“The House of Representatives Committee on Education is in support of the use of CBT by JAMB. The world is flying and we cannot be crawling.

“Today, those candidates are writing a rescheduled examination some of whom are sick because of the flexibility of CBT without which they would not have had this opportunity,” he said.

The chairman advised parents to be patient with the board, adding that the process was not as complex as it had been made to look.

He called on JAMB to identify the hitches and address them, adding that the House would support JAMB in putting infrastructure together to see that the new examination regime was stress-free.

Registrar, JAMB Prof. Dibu Ojerinde said the rescheduled examination was one of the flexibility of the CBT.

According to him, the conduct of the rescheduled examinations for candidates, who missed the UTME because of change in centres, was due to the use of the CBT.

He noted that the major objective of the board was to completely eliminate malpractice through the conduct of the CBT.

“Only CBT has the capacity to address all the challenge of the conduct of public examination in the 21st century.

“The 21st century child in Nigeria irrespective of where he or she comes from has no problem with CBT. The complexity developed by perpetrators of malpractice can never be detected by Paper and Pencil Test,” he said.

Ojerinde noted that so far, over 37 per cent of candidates scored 200 and above compared to the 32 per cent last year.

He added that 59 per cent scored 180 and above compared to the 55 per cent recorded last year.

He said this year’s performance was better than last year’s exercise.

March 24, 2016
“JAMB used wrong software for 2016”
- Seeks Dibu Ojerinde’s resignation as registrar
- JAMB explains conflicting results
The Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO) has accused the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of using the wrong grading software to mark the 2016/2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The group claimed that the error was responsible for the poor and conflicting results that were released by the board for the examination written between February 27 and March 17 in over 500 centres nationwide.

At a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday, President of the group, Mr Shodunke Oludotun, alleged that the board erroneously used the software from last year to grade this year’s examination.

He called for the release of the right results, as well as the resignation of the JAMB Registrar, Prof ‘Dibu Ojerinde.

Oludotun said: “We have our evidence to show that virtually all the candidates we have collected results of 2015/2016 and not of 2016/2017.

“This year, Prof Dibu Ojerinde advertised 2016/2017 UTME – we all saw it. During his press conference, he also mentioned 2016/2017. During the exam, the students on their monitor, it displayed 2016/2017. Why is it that the result that was sent to the students showed 2015/2016?

“From our findings from insiders in JAMB, we realized that the software of 2015/2016 interfered with the 2016/2017, which led to the massive failure of the students. If you can see the trend of results from (February) 27 to 29, the students failed; (March) 7-15, the students failed massively.

“But we noticed that the 27-29 were compensated with 40 marks still under the interference of software. We can see that the 2015/2016 software was used to mark, that was why the students were receiving 2015/2016 results. So where is 2016/2017 result? That is what we are asking Prof Dibu Ojerinde…We are saying that Prof Dibu Ojerinde should step aside.”

Though the House of Representatives has told JAMB to revert to the Paper Pencil Test (PPT) mode of the examination since the conduct of the Computer Based Test (CBT) was fraught with irregularities, Oludotun said the group was in support of the CBT because it is better.

“This Association of Tutorial School Operators, we are not against CBT. CBT has really helped to bring more students to tutorial centres. It makes them to be serious; and we have taught them. But for CBT, the whole JAMB exam would have been messed up. Because before CBT, it will only take you N2,000 for Cyber café to send the answers to you. So I want to say that we appreciate the professor for introducing the CBT; and we are in support of CBT,” he said.

However, he called for Ojerinde to step aside so someone else would build on the foundation he has laid to conduct hitch free examinations.

Responding to ATSO’s allegations of software mishap, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Director of Media and Public Relations, said whether 2010 or 2019 software was used, what was important was the programming and not the marking guide.

“I am not a programmer, but I can confirm to you that JAMB does not joke with its template. What happened with the 40 marks issue is because the scripts were marked based on 250 marks because only English Language is 100 while the other three papers carry 50 marks, making a total of 250.

“So when the first results were released, they were calculated based on 250, and after normalization we felt it would not be ideal for us to cheat on the candidates. So we had to quickly send them their real scores,” Benjamin stated.

He refuted claims that the House Committee on Education had ordered the board to revert to PPT. Onl the contrary, he said the committee praised JAMB for introducing the CBT.

“The House never considered ordering the examinationn to revert to PPT; individual members only raised suggestions,” he said.
March 23, 2016