From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Sometime in 2018, a mild drama happened at a computer-based test (CBT) centre owned by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), located in Bwari, Abuja, between the registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and some candidates who were in the CBT centre to beat the registration deadline for the year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Oloyede, in company with some JAMB officials and journalists, had visited the CBT centre to monitor the registration preparatory for the year’s UTME.
Some of candidates at the venue, perhaps, out of frustration, registered their anger over their inability to secure admission into universities of their choice after they claimed to have passed all necessary examinations, including the mandatory UTME.
Unknown to some of the candidates, they were responsible for their misfortune due to their ignorance, particularly as it pertained to what increased the chances of candidates to secure admission.
The students, ignorantly, accused JAMB of not being fair and considerate to them in their assessment and admission opportunities, hence they had been forced to spend extra years at home instead of being in school studying.
The JAMB registrar, after calming the visibly unhappy students with soothing and promising words, invited one of them to know why she was unhappy and had not been able to secure admission after several attempts, and having exceeded the cut-off point for admission.
THE DISCUSSION WITH OLOYEDE
Prof. Oloyede started by asking the candidate her name, followed by her state of origin, choice course, age, institution, O’Level combinations and other requirements needed to secure admission without hassles.
The JAMB registrar was, however, disappointed with the response of the female candidate. First, she refused to disclose her identity (name) but confirmed that she was from Edo State, and had applied to study a “professional” course in Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and had score 207 in the previous year’s UTME.
He immediately called the attention of other unhappy candidates to some of the mistakes being made by many candidates, ignorantly, which often affect their chances of securing admission.
He told her that it would be difficult for her to secure admission in Nasarawa State University because she was neither from the state nor geopolitical zone. Besides, the institution was state-owned, hence it would consider its indigenes first before extending opportunities to non-indigenes.
He advised that she change her priority, particularly institution of choice, so she could stand a better chance of securing admission to study her choice course.
In 2019, JAMB announced that a 15-year-old boy, Ezenala Ekene Franklin, from Imo State, emerged the best candidate with 347 points, and he chose University of Lagos (UNILAG) as first choice institution. Ezenala was followed closely by 16 years old Igbam Emmanuel Chidiebube, from Abia State, who scored 346 points and also chose UNILAG as first choice of institution.
Unfortunately, both candidates could not gain admission into their choice institution (UNILAG) that admission year because they were below the minimum age for admission into UNILAG.
The JAMB registrar told journalists that, “unfortunately for these students, they won’t gain admission because UNILAG don’t admit candidates below the age of 18 (as at then). UNILAG sees them as underage candidates. UNILAG Senate took the decision years ago and they still maintain it. JAMB has no power to compel UNILAG to change their decision. The candidates might, unfortunately, not be aware of the law but that is not an excuse.”
Oloyede, at the board’s 2022 policy meeting, stressed the need for the review of admission criteria in order to make Nigerian institutions more national.
He also said admission into tertiary institutions needed to be international (inclusion of foreign students), more inclusive (inclusion of candidates with special needs), more realistic (restoring and recognizing some discretionary admission), and nationalization of localized national institutions.
However, before you fill the UTME form for 2023, please, endeavour to acquaint yourself with the criteria so you can stand a choice of securing admission the coming academic year.
ADMISSION CRITERIA (THAT IMPROVE CANDIDATES’ CHANCES)
JAMB has repeatedly advised candidates to always acquaint themselves with the admission criteria long before they begin the process of applying for the UTME. But many candidates often fail to do so, thereby acting ignorantly, and in most cases they pay for it by not securing admission.
In offering admissions, institutions consider several factors and also comply with directives as issued by the Federal Government. Most applicants fail to gain admission into tertiary institutions of their choice because of insufficient spaces in their choice institutions, in addition to other factors.
Many candidates are unaware, hence they argue that schools are cheating because a friend might have secured admission even with a lower UTME mark. Institutions are expected to adhere to the Federal Government’s directive on the ratio of admissions into the different disciplines.
For emphasis, science/art for conventional universities and colleges of education is 60:40. This means that in conventional universities and colleges of education, 60 per cent of admission spaces are allocated to science candidates while 40 per cent for candidates applying for other courses.
Similarly, science/art ratio for specialized universities is 80:20. It means for specialized universities like in Agriculture, Technology; 80 per cent of the admission spaces are allocated to science candidates while 20 per cent goes to other candidates.
Institutions are also advised to offer admissions based on the ratios of science, art and social science applicants. While science takes the highest space, art and commercial applicants are left with few openings.
In addition to that, there is the admission formula (admission criteria) in operation in all federal government-owned tertiary institutions in the country. For instance, 45 per cent of admissions are based on merit, 25 per cent on catchment area of the university (catchment areas are states and communities that are closer to the institution), educational less developed states get 20 per cent of the admission spaces, while 10 per cent of admission spaces is allocated to the vice-chancellor.
State government-owned tertiary institutions have similar guidelines based on the laws establishing them, while privately-owned institutions are more flexibility with admissions criteria.
Institutions are always advised to adhere to the applicable criteria in admitting candidates as these are being monitored on CAPS, which is the system through which schools and JAMB give admissions.
JAMB ADMISSION PROCESSES
JAMB, at the end of UTME exercise and subsequent release of the results, contacts institutions to request for their input on issues of cut-off point and other suggestions that would enable the board conduct seamless admissions for the year.
A few weeks after, JAMB invites heads of all tertiary institutions, public and private, to its annual policy meeting. At the meeting, the participants are briefed on the successes and challenges of the previous UTME exercise.
JAMB also shares with them the plans and processes for the year’s exercise, innovations that would, expectedly, improve the exercise and increase the credibility and acceptability of the exercise.
At the meeting, the best institutions and candidates for the previous UTME exercise are disclosed by the JAMB registrar. Decisions on the cut-off point are taken, while ratification is given to other criteria for admission through a voice vote from all the heads of the institutions and other stakeholders under the chairmanship of the minister of education.
At the 2022 exercise, it was agreed that 140 would be the minimum cut-off point for admission into university; 100 was voted for polytechnics and monotechnics, while 80 was voted for colleges of education.
The JAMB registrar explained that the aforementioned points were the minimum, but that does not mean that institutions must adhere wholely to it: “Institutions are at liberty to determine their cut-off point but must not go below the cut-off agreed at the policy meeting.”
Adebayo Eyimofe from Ekiti State was announced as the best candidate in the 2022 UTME with a score of 362 points. He was closely followed by Ugwu Chikelu, an indigene of Enugu State, with a score of 359.
CENTRAL ADMISSION PROCESSING SYSTEM (CAPS)
In 2017, JAMB introduced CAPS as part of its innovation to digitalize admission process and reduce human-to-human interactions that’s often characterized by corruption and errors. CAPS has guaranteed admissions process of a very high standard, transparent, and credible.
It had streamlined admissions process, addressed challenges associated with the manual approach, restored the autonomy of tertiary institutions regarding admissions, empowered students with information on available institutions and programmes, expands admission opportunities, eliminated multiple admissions, and provided data that are easily retrievable.
CAPS empowered institutions to only accept applicants who match their minimum admission requirements, and if candidate fails to meet the cut-off mark, admission is denied regardless of the candidate’s connection.
The system also has a “marketplace” in the JAMB portal where institutions can go to request for students who meet their cut-off points, and because of the way the system was set up, institutions can only accept applicants who match their minimum requirements.
DATES FOR 2023 UTME EXERCISES
Meanwhile, JAMB, has announced that it will commence the sale of UTME form for 2023 exercise from Saturday, 14th January to Tuesday, 14th February, while the Direct Entry (DE) registration would commence from Monday, 20th February to Thursday, 20th April, 2022.
29th April, 2023 has been fixed for the conduct of the 2023 UTME, and it’s expected to run till Monday, 12th May, 2023. JAMB also fixed Thursday, 16th March, 2023, for the conduct of its optional mock-UTME.
It noted that interested candidates would be required to pay the sum of N1000 service charge for Computer Based Test (CBT) centres for the conduct of mock examination at the point of registration so as to prevent a situation where candidates would indicate their interest to sit the mock-UTME leading the various centres to commit human and material resources only to stay away on the day of the examination.
With the new arrangement, candidates would indicate and confirm their interest by paying for the mock at the point of UTME registration, therefore, precluding the centres from incurring any loss whether candidates turn up or not.
All candidates who desire to register for the 2023 UTME are advised to begin the process of creating their respective profiles (creation of profile code) ahead of the formal commencement of the registration exercise to avoid being caught up in any ensuing bottleneck.