…Implementation Ticketing Platform To Mitigate
“Baseless Allegations” By Parents
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has warned against the practice of registering prospective candidates for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) at night.
JAMB in a statement signed by its Public Communication Advisor Dr. Fabian Benjamin on Sunday in Abuja, noted that even tho it
appreciates the enthusiasm of some registration centers to accommodate as many candidates as possible, it should however never come at the cost of the candidates’ personal safety and security.
While issuing a stern warning to listed registration centres engaged in the practice, JAMB called on any others that may consider engaging in similar practices, to immediately cease these activities.
“This publication serves as a final warning to these centres, as no further notices will be issued before JAMB takes decisive action to address this issue.
“JAMB will not tolerate any violations of the regulations governing the registration process and will take appropriate measures against any centre engaged in questionable or exploitative practices during this exercise.
“The Board remains committed to monitoring the registration process to ensure strict adherence to all guidelines, thereby safeguarding the integrity of the exercise and promoting fairness and equity in the registration process. JAMB urges centres to prioritize the well-being of our nation’s youth over mere profit margins.
Meanwhile, JAMB has advised parents to desist from what it described as “baseless allegations” against universities especially on admission status of their wards or child (ren).
“The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is again compelled to refute the series of baseless allegations by some candidates and their parents, alleging denial of admission despite what, to them, were high scores of the candidates in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“A recent case involved a parent, who publicly accused the University of Calabar of unjustly denying his child what he deemed a rightful admission.
“One of the most recent cases was that of Mr. Godwin Nsan, who publicly accused the University of Calabar of unjust handling of his son’s admission. He had protested in writing to JAMB but was unwilling to provide requested details to establish his case despite pleas from the Board.
“When he eventually provided the details after he had unduly castigated the University in the media, it was discovered that the score (ranking) of the child who scored 201 in the UTME and whose aggregate score was 34% fell below the 55%; 35% and 35 which were for Merit; Catchment and ELDS respectively whereas he had unduly castigated the University.”
To mitigate such misunderstandings, the Board has implemented a robust communication system the Ticketing Platform, where candidates and their guardians could seek clarification before airing grievances publicly.
“As a regulatory body, JAMB is committed to ensuring that qualified candidates are not substituted for inferior candidates, which is why we established the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) to transparently rank candidates for admission selection.
“Similarly, a senior public figure alleged that Modibbo Adama University, Yola, sidelined some candidates in its admission exercise. JAMB promptly investigated and found the claims to be unfounded. We communicated our findings to the individual, clarifying why his assertions of discrimination were inaccurate.
“To promote accountability among institutions and ensure adherence to admission guidelines, JAMB shared its findings with the relevant universities. The Board will continue to share such with institutions, where necessary, even as the Board, however, cautions institutions against disclosing such confidential information meant solely for institutional use to the public or media. While the Board welcomes genuine complaints, it destress public condemnation of tertiary institutions, who are merely doing their duties.
“Recently, a parent publicly claimed that his son, who scored 345, was unjustly denied admission to the University of Jos without valid reasons. JAMB participated in a radio programme to clarify the admission ranking process, advising candidates to consider the overall results rather than relying solely on personal perceptions of brilliance. The candidate and his father were invited to the National Headquarters, where they were shown the result with the son being ranked 86th among other candidates, while only 68 could be admitted based on merit.
“It is essential to note that in some universities, a score of 345 might rank a candidate as low as 300, depending on the university’s subscription capacity.
“The father was subsequently invited to view the admission platform and the ranking of his son. It was there that he saw the strenuous job bring done by the Board to engender equity and fairness and he apologised and left apparently satisfied.
“In light of these circumstances, JAMB advises parents to refrain from being swayed by their subjective perceptions of their children’s exceptional abilities without considering the broader context of overall candidate performance. This perspective can help mitigate feelings of desperation and disappointment.
“A further example of this misplaced belief in exceptionalism is the misuse of the exceptionally brilliant window introduced for the 2025 UTME. This provision allows candidates younger than 16 to sit the examination if they can demonstrate outstanding performance through meeting the standard set by the Board. Surprisingly, a ridiculously high number of candidates have registered through this window, a phenomenon virtually unheard of globally, where only a small fraction typically qualifies. Parents are advised not to exaggerate the brilliance of their children without realising that there are more brilliant candidates out there.
“JAMB remains committed to protecting the rights of all candidates by ensuring fair and equitable selection through transparent ranking based on performance. We will investigate any allegations of unfair treatment and provide necessary clarifications.
“Currently, a senior university staff is being prosecuted for admission-related crimes, with four others under investigation. JAMB does not tolerate any admission infractions and will take appropriate action against any individuals involved in questionable practices regarding admissions.
“We urge parents to refrain from jumping to conclusions without considering the performance of other candidates. The UTME serves as a ranking examination by determining a candidate’s position within a cohort for the limited available spaces in our nation’s tertiary institutions.”
Echezona Okafor.
