The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has fixed minimum cut off marks for admissions into Nigeria’s tertiary institutions for the 2017/2018 academic year.
For admissions into Nigerian universities, the cut-off mark was set for 120, polytechnics and colleges of education pegged at 100, while that of innovative enterprising institutes was pegged at 110.
However, institutions are at liberty to raise their cut off marks for admission above the minimum set by JAMB.
Also, admissions into public degree awarding institutions for the 2017 UTME examination will end on January 15, 2018 while for private institutions, it ends on January 31, 2018, Punch reports.
Meanwhile, decisions on first choice candidates by universities will end on October 15, and second choice candidates will end on December 15; after which the remaining students will be available in the market place for other institutions till the January closing dates.
These decisions were taken at the 2017 Combined Policy Meetings on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria which ended on yesterday.
According to the Registrar of JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, a Central Admission Processing System, CAPS, will be used to streamline admission processes among institutions, as it addresses challenges associated with the former approach.
”What JAMB has done is to recommend; we will only determine the minimum, whatever you determine as your admission cut-off mark is your decision. The Senate and academic boards of universities should be allowed to determine their cut-off marks.”
The registrar also said that Institutions could conduct dual mode system which involves both manual and the newly introduced CAPS.
He advocated a dynamic educational policy as related to admissions;
”All over the world, there is agitation for dynamic educational policy. JAMB only admits for National Diploma, not Higher National Diploma; so why should we use the same requirement for ND and BSC, that is unreasonable parity.
We should not be sentimental in fixing our cut off mark; we need not over-dramatise issue of cut off mark.
In addition, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, described the Federal Government’s ban on tests conducted by universities after the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, as a mistake.
He explained that post-UTME was banned because it had become an avenue for corruption.
Adamu however encouraged higher institutions to conduct aptitude tests for candidates seeking admission and pegged the fee for the test at N2,000.
Okiedokie.
OK