On Monday, the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Isiaq Oloyede, declared that several institutions in Nigeria offering daily part-time programs are operating illegally.
During a fact-finding mission to the Ibadan Zonal Office of JAMB in Oyo State, Oloyede addressed allegations against JAMB officials, noting that many complaints were unfounded. He emphasized that students facing issues with their admissions often bear responsibility for their predicaments, having resorted to unethical practices to gain entry into higher institutions.
“The complaint was that at the Ibadan Zonal Office, the officers are not acting well and that there was no program devoted to the Ibadan office. So, I have to come here to see what is going on because the impression is that people here are not responsible. However, from what we have seen, it is now clear that they are grappling with things that even the system would not have envisaged,” Oloyede explained.
He cited cases such as individuals presenting “under-tabled” admissions seven years after the fact and others seeking name changes long after initial registrations as examples of issues JAMB officials face.
Regarding Higher National Diploma (HND) admissions, Oloyede clarified that JAMB does not handle the registration process for HND programs. He highlighted a recurring issue where students initially admitted to part-time Ordinary National Diploma (OND) programs later seek to convert their status to full-time when applying for HND programs, a request JAMB cannot accommodate.
“You are offered admission to run the OND program on a part-time basis. Now that you want to apply for the HND program, you want the board to change your OND from part-time to full-time. How do we do that?” Oloyede questioned.
He also condemned the practice of institutions admitting students beyond their approved capacity and subsequently registering part-time students as full-time graduates, thereby creating administrative and regulatory challenges.
“The board has made returns to the NYSC about the students that are graduating that year. The point is that you don’t expect JAMB to change the daily part-time students to full-time,” Oloyede concluded.
This announcement underscores JAMB’s commitment to maintaining academic integrity and addressing the complexities introduced by illegal admission practices in Nigerian higher education institutions.
