MATRICULATION LIST: JAMB Meets Registrar, Admission Officers Of Tertiary Institutions

Ahead of the 2024 UTME and Admission cycle, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has met with the Registrars and Admission Officers of all tertiary institutions in the country. The meeting, which was held virtually, held on Thursday, 30th November, 2023, and was hosted from the JAMB National Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja. The meeting was aimed at intimating participants of the recent move of the Board to automate the Matriculation List (ML), among other issues. In his remarks, the Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stated that mechanism had been put in place to automate the Matriculation List and publish the analysis of the Matriculation Lists of all institutions in the country to ascertain those candidates that were legitimately admitted for the purpose of accountability and data collection, among others. He pointed out that the briefing was important so as to absolve the Board of complicity in the event of any contravention of the laid-down rules and regulations. He urged the participants to pay rapt attention to the presentation as well as the live demonstration coming up towards the end of the programme.The Registrar also reiterated the Board’s determination to have Direct Entry candidates sit the UTME as part of measures to checkmate all forms of  fraudulent activities associated with the acquisition of some A/L certifications. In his presentation, the Director of Admissions, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed Babaji, said the Board has automated the National Matriculation List(NML)to improve the quality and authenticity of the National Tertiary Education Database.He disclosed that all successful candidates, whose admissions were processed appropriately through JAMB, would be listed on the NML, and would be made available to the public. Furthermore, he added that every institution is expected to forward its matriculation list to the Board for analysis together with a letter notifying JAMB of its matriculation ceremony at least two weeks before its proposed date. Also, Mr Babaji declared that JAMB would, in turn, forward the results of any ML analysis to the particular institution so that it could assess its level of compliance or violations while the list would also be published in the Board’s weekly bulletin under the column “Matriculation This Week.”The Director said the results of the analysis would determine whether the Board gives the green light to the concerned institution to proceed with its matriculation ceremony or not. He added that the Board’s decision would be in the following order:” Approved With Advice;” Not Approved”; “Substantial Non-Compliance” and “Advised to Postpone”. The highlight of the programme was the demonstration of the workings of the proposed automation of the ML platform while grey areas identified by participants were clarified.EDUCATION COMMISSIONER LAUDS PROF. OLOYEDEProf. Abdulwaheed Salihu, the Hon. Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology, Oyo State, has lauded  the Prof. Is-haq Oloyede-led administration for its many success stories in JAMB. Thiscommendation was made during the Commissioner’s interaction with the Deputy Director, Ibadan Zonal Office, and his team recently at his Agodi Office. The visit was aimed at commending the Commissioner for his warm support during the Board’s 2023 SERVICOM Customer Service Week held recently as well as intimate the Hon. Commissioner of the Board’s preparations for the 2024 UTME.In his address, Prof. Salihu commended the efforts of the Registrar for curbing the menace of  examination malpractice, which, according to him, has plagued the conduct of public examinations in Nigeria over the years, and has led to a downward trend in the quality ofintakes into the country’s tertiary institutions. He stated that the success of this victory is evident in the improved quality of intakes across tertiary institutions in the country.Prof. Salihu also reiterated the significance of the Registrar’s efforts as manifested in the restoration of public confidence in the affairs of JAMB. On the operations of the SERVICOM Unit in an organisation, the Commissioner described the body as  an important tool for ensuring checks and balances in the system as the Board navigates the murky waters of disaffection, inefficiency in and poor service delivery. He, therefore, emphasised the importance of strengthening the SERVICOM Unit in all public institutions. Furthermore, the Hon. Commissioner also touched on the Board’s laudable Corporate Social Responsibility interventions, from which, he said, many institutions in Oyo State had benefited. He promised the ministry’s unrelenting support for the Board’s programmes and activities, which he said aligned with the desire of the State to bolster its place in the yearly UTME performance ranking.”In his remarks, Mr. Daramola thanked  Prof. Salihu and assured him of the Registrar’s commitment to transparency and effective service delivery at all times.DO NOT LOWER YOUR Standard – EDUCATION MINISTER TELLS JAMBImpressed by its performance in the discharge of its core mandate as well as the various achievements recorded under the Prof. Is-haq Oloyede-led Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB), the Hon. Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, has urged the Board not to lower its standards.The Minister gave this charge at the just-concluded two-day Information Technology and Management Retreat in Abuja held between Sunday, 26th and Tuesday, 28th November, 2023. In his remarks, the Minister lauded JAMB for its efficiency, integrity of its system and operation culminating in quality service delivery, innovation, inclusivity, as well as leveraging on technology to provide relevant solutions to its operational processes. “Do not lower your standards, hence, we should upscale others for the sake of our children and do our best by emulating the right leadership as the one currently in JAMB. Prior to this time, I never knew the level of your attention to details and, by implication, the efficiency of the system you have here. A lot of times, we talked about IT but what we see in a lot of places is motion without movement as you see them talking so much about wanting to go IT or paperless but at the end of the day, you will still find out that they still have a long way to go.””I remember that case of Mmesoma. It’s the efficiency and integrity of your system that saved the day. If it wasn’t for that, a lot of problems would have been created. Even at that, you know how many times you have been to the National Assembly standing before various investigating committees, fortunately, at the end of the day, you were vindicated.””JAMB really wrestled with the system and came out unscathed, as such, I am very proud to associate with what you are doing. I know how JAMB was struggling before you came in. So, I’m very proud of what you are doing, very proud of your success story because when an organisation is successful, you are also happy and its successes become your standards.Earlier, the Registrar had intimated the Hon. Minister on the raison d’être for the retreat, stating that it was to take stock of the Board’s operations as well as re-appraise its omnibus mandate (Admission and Matriculation), which are operationalized in its six cardinal activities, viz.   I) Accreditation of CBT Centres ii) Registration (enrolment)  iii)Examination of Candidates  iv) Ranking of all Candidates (with the aid of their UTME results and assessment of their chosen  institutions); v) Admission; and vi) Matriculation.  He disclosed that the last item, which is matriculation, has not been given sufficient attention prior to this time hence it is currently being automated in line with the Board’s mantra of fairness, transparency and inclusivity.   Furthermore, the Registrar disclosed that during the retreat, stakeholders would be taking a look at these processes with a view to devising strategies for adopting e-accreditation, ensuring optimal performance of the Board and its partnering CBT centres in critical issues.He thanked the Minister for his passion, interest and commitment to education and reiterated the desire of the Board to key into the ministerial roadmap. The highlights of the event included the demonstration of the planned automation of accreditation and matriculation list by Director of Admissions, Mr. Babaji Ahmed Muhammed, and Director of Test Administration,