The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved 140 as the cut-off mark for 2024 admission into the nation’s universities and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education, respectively.
This is just as the Federal Government has protested by stakeholders to peg the eligible age for 2024 admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years.
The National Minimum Tolerable UTME Score (NTMUS), popularly known as the cut-off mark, for 2024 admission into tertiary institutions was arrived at in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting was held following the successful conduct of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). A total of 1,989,668 registered candidates for this year’s UTME.
Out of the 1,989,668 registered candidates, 80,810 were absent, while a total of 1,904,189 actually sat for the UTME within six days of the examination.
The policy meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, arrived at the decision following recommendations by the heads of institutions.
The registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, who announced the cutoff marks, explained that individual institutions were at liberty to raise their minimum benchmark approved at the policy meeting but could not go below what was approved for various institutions.
While some universities set as high as 200, others set as low as 100 or 120 cut-off points, which were sent to JAMB ahead of the meeting.
The implication of the approved cut-off marks is that all the private universities that had earlier chosen 120 and 130 as minimum points would have to increase their minimum points to at least 140.
In the same vein, all polytechnics and colleges of education would be allowed to admit students with less than 100 minimum scores.
On the age limit for admission into tertiary institutions in the country, the Federal Government has pegged the eligible age for 2024 admission into tertiary institutions at 16 years.
The decision was made at the policy meeting on admissions into tertiary institutions after stakeholders at the meeting opposed the initial directive of the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman for JAMB, to peg the admission age at 18 years.
Mamman noted that information has revealed that the enrolment of underage candidates is inflicting serious damage on the university and the education system, hence the need for enforcement of existing rules.
“I have also been informed about the surge in applications for immediate requests for a change of age to reflect higher age in anticipation of the imminent enforcement of the age policy.
“This again reflects dangerous games being played with the life and future of innocent children by those expected to nurture them.
“Flowing from this, JAMB is hereby instructed to admit only eligible students’, i.e. those who have attained 18 years. Universities are advised to avoid recommending unqualified children for admission,” he stated
The directive of the minister in his speech caused a momentary uproar, with a resounding “no!” from the stakeholders, comprising vice chancellors, provosts, rectors, registrars, and admission officers of tertiary institutions, among others, at the meeting.
It took the intervention of the registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, to restore order to the policy meeting with his plea, “Please pay attention, please!”
The stakeholders argued that it was wrong for JAMB to register candidates and allow them to go through all the rigorous processes only to be denied admission on the basis of age.
Mamman, however, reversed his position following the intervention of the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, when it was unanimously agreed that the admission age should be pegged at 16 years for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
He said his decision that only candidates who have clocked 18 years will be offered admissions now takes effect in 2025.
To this effect, the minister said heads of tertiary institutions could be allowed to admit candidates who are 16 years of age.
The Vice Chancellor of Elizade University, Prof. Kayode Thadius Ijiadunola, who led the motion and got massive support from other heads, the registrar, and admission officers participating in the policy meeting, proposed 16 as the minimum age requirement for admission into tertiary institutions.
He said, “What happens to those who have written this year’s exams and passed their exams? We reject 18 years as the minimum age requirement and are proposing 16 years.”
While the hall erupted in support of 16 years as a minimum requirement, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, asked where parents and candidates were rushing to.
Oloyede said: “The only point is that they have taken examinations, and at that time they were not told or aware, so if we want to enforce it, it should be from subsequent years.”
The minister, in response, said, “I can work with that, but I want to remind you of one thing: even that argument cannot stand if we want to go by the law, which states 6-3-3-4 as our system of education.
“It won’t stand, but for practical reasons, for this year, I will allow it to stand.”
Reiterating the minister’s decision amidst resounding applause, Prof. Oloyede added, “We thank the minister for conceding, but from next year we will enforce it.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced earlier in his remarks that a new curriculum for secondary education across Nigeria will be implemented by September 2024.
Mamman said, “We are working hard to ensure that a new curriculum is introduced for secondary schools by September.”. He explained that the curriculum development has been ongoing for the past year, with a stakeholders meeting scheduled for August 6, 2024, to finalise the details.
“It is our plan that by September, this programme will be implemented in all schools, public and private,” Mamman added.
“The initiative is part of broader efforts to address the significant challenges facing secondary education in Nigeria. The National Senior Secondary School Education Commission has highlighted several issues, including infrastructural deficits, unqualified teachers, obsolete curriculums, and inadequate libraries and laboratories.
“By introducing a new curriculum, the Federal Government aims to modernise and improve the quality of education, ensuring that students receive an up-to-date and comprehensive education that prepares them for higher education and the workforce,” he stated.
Speaking on the admission of candidates, the Minister maintained that the Senate or respective academic boards of institutions have the mandate to initiate the admission process for each candidate.
He, however, said JAMB as a regulatory body, has the mandate by law to regulate the admission process to ensure fairness and equity.
He vowed that any Vice Chancellor, Provost, or Rector discovered to have effected any admission outside the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) would be severely sanctioned.
He said: “Technology has been installed to ensure compliance with mutually agreed procedures. The Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) is one such technology platform.
“You would all recall that in 2018, JAMB developed the innovative CAPS technology. Given my background and antecedents, I am familiar with the workings of CAPS as an automation devoid of human interference, which has eliminated administrative bottlenecks.
“As usual, JAMB has always issued specific advisories to guide the process. Flexibility to address the peculiarities and unique features of institutions can also be allowed, provided such allowances comply with the guidelines.
“The Board has informed me of the discoveries in the recent past of over 1 million candidates improperly admitted outside CAPS between 2017 and 2020, to which a ministerial waiver for normalisation was given.
“I, therefore, want to emphasise that the position of the Federal Ministry of Education has not changed. That is, any Vice Chancellor, Provost, or Rector discovered to have effected any admission outside CAPS would be severely sanctioned,” he stated.
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