By Uche Amunike
The Federal Government has dismissed rumors circulating on social media that the Joint Admissions And Matriculation Board (JAMB) is no longer needed as a prerequisite for admission into tertiary institutions in the country.
According to some viral posts, the Federal Government had abolished the use of JAMB for admissions into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, with claims that individual institutions would henceforth conduct their own entrance examinations.
Speaking through a statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade , the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa stated that the claim is false and baseless. He also stated that the viral post did not originate from the Ministry of Education.
His words: ‘At no point did the ministry issue or authorize any statement suggesting that JAMB is no longer mandatory for admission into tertiary institutions.’
He reaffirmed that JAMB is still the statutory and legally empowered body set up for conducting entrance examinations and coordinating admissions into every tertiary institution in the country.
He further stated that the established admission processes through JAMB is still fully operational and any different information should be disregarded in its entirety.
According to the minister, the public, especially prospective students, parents and tertiary institutions should rely solely on official communication channels of the ministry and JAMB for accurate and verified information concerning admission policies.
He reiterated the ministry ‘s continued collaboration with JAMB, and other relevant agencies to uphold fairness, credibility and transparency in Nigeria’s tertiary education admission system.
He stated: ‘We remain committed to protecting the integrity of the admission process and ensuring that merit and due process guide all admissions into higher institutions.’
He also warned media outlets, online platforms and bloggers against publishing unverified information as it is capable of causing unnecessary confusion within the education sector. Therefore, they should avoid such spread of falsehood it will do no good to the education system.
He reiterated that there has been no changes made in the role played by JAMB, but their functions remain central and indispensable in the framework of Nigeria’s tertiary education. He maintained that any publication or online post that claims otherwise is entirely false and should be treated as such.
JAMB is a Nigerian government body, responsible for overseeing and conducting the admission process into higher education institutions in Nigeria, with the primary role of ensuring a unified and standardized admissions process into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and mono techniques in Nigeria.
Before it was established, every institution conducted their own entrance examinations which led to inconsistencies and challenges in maintaining academic standards. JAMB was therefore created to centralize admissions, uphold uniform standards and provide equal opportunities for all candidates.
Its leadership comprises of experienced educators and administrators who are committed to upholding the integrity of the admission process.
This team is committed to upholding the mission of the board to ensure equitable and standardized admissions into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
