Senate, Academic Boards Of Universities Can Admit

THE Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oyolede, yesterday in Kano, cleared the air on the processes for admissions into tertiary institutions in Nigeria for the 2016 academic year. He said it is the Senate or Academic Board of each institution that has the prerogative of admitting candidates to their respective institutions, subject only to the existing national policy on admission into tertiary institutions. Addressing participants at the first Technical Committee meeting on 2016 admissions to first choice institutions at the Bayero University, Kano, he explained that JAMB’s responsibility was to coordinate the process and not to usurp the traditional responsibilities of the senates and academic boards. “Consequently, no candidate must emanate from any other source (JAMB inclusive) outside the list prepared and recommended by the institutions,” he stated. He explained that JAMB has the right to reject candidates for non-compliance with the extant rules and regulations, but has no right to substitute or originate any names without prior concurrence of the institutions. “The only difference between this year’s admission process and what has always been the practice is the policy that there should be no written post-UTME test. All other processes should be and would be as they have always been,” he said. He tasked the participants, which included admission officers, registrars, directors and several stakeholders to act with focus on that which would be beneficial to the largest number of Nigerians. “We must avoid adding to the burden of the masses of our people who rightly yearns for higher education as a veritable means of active participation in public life,” he stated. He reiterated the fact that the National Policy on Admissions into tertiary institutions in Nigeria remains a 60:40 (Science/Art) ratio for conventional universities, 80:20 Science/Art) ratio for non-conventional, universities, 70:30 ratio (technology/non-technology) ratio for National Diploma awarding institutions. Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, in his remarks, applauded the resolution of the controversy surrounding this year’s admission into tertiary Institutions, saying there ought to be a difference between the regulators and implementors. “You cannot regulate and implement. The two must not meet else you will be compromised,” Ganduje who was represented by his deputy, Professor Hafiz Abubakar said.