JAMB releases date, guidelines for 2020/2021 admissions in Nigeria

Emmanuel Akosile | ConsumerConnect

Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has given institutions of higher learning the greenlight to begin first and second choice admissions for 2020/2021 starting from August 21, 2020.

Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar of JAMB, in a statement by Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Head of Media and Information of the Board, disclosed these 2020 admission guidelines Sunday, July 19.

The deadline for admissions, according to the Board, would be communicated to the heads of tertiary institutions in the country at a later date to be determined by the Federal Government.

The body, however, insists the admission processes must be conducted on Central Admission Processing System (CAPS), warning institutions not to bypass the system when the exercise begins.

JAMB said: “The 1st and 2nd Choices Admission-Exercise be conducted for all institutions from 21st August, 2020, to a later date that would be determined by the Federal Ministry of Education and communicated to all the institutions.

“The uncertainties of TEFD Covid-19 make it impossible to fix a terminal date,” the board said.

The tertiary admission regulatory body nonetheless cautioned the heads of institutions against flouting decisions of its 2020 policy meeting held June 2020, insisting that all admissions must be carried out in a honest and transparent manner.

The statement added: “The guidelines explain the nitty-gritty of the processes of admission of candidates into the Nigerian Tertiary Institutions.

“All heads of institutions and admission officers are advised to carefully study and understand the content of the document with a view to implementing it fully for a seamless and transparent admission exercise.

“The decisions as well as the policy directives as contained in the address of the Honourable Minister of Education at the Policy Meeting shall serve as the guidelines for the 2020 Admissions Exercise.

“All Heads of Tertiary Institutions are to ensure total compliance with the guidelines.

“Sanctions shall be applied to institutions that violate the decisions,” the board said.

The Board stated that all applications for admissions to First Degree, National Diploma, National Innovation Diploma and the Nigeria Certificate in Education into full time, distance learning, part time, outreach, sandwich, etc., must be processed only through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

It also warned that the institutions still involved in advertising or selling application forms for admissions into the programmes should stop henceforth.

“Institutions should advise candidates to apply to them through Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Duplication of application forms is not allowed.

“Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the three Regulatory Agencies (National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE)) will ensure that all Tertiary Institutions comply with this policy directive.

“The duration of all Non-Full Time Studies must be maintained as approved by the Regulatory Agencies.

This is generally not less than one hundred and fifty percent (150%) of the equivalence of Full Time,” added JAMB.