JAMB Fixes 120 As Universities’ Cut Off Mark, 100 For Polytechnics

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has crashed the admission cut-off marks into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the country from 180 to as low as 120 and 100.

This announcement was made by the exam board on Tuesday after a consultative meeting with Vice Chancellors and other Heads of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Speaking at the 2017/2018 Combined Policy Meetings on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria, the JAMB Registrar, Mr Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed that while the mininum score for degree programmes were pegged at 120, that of polytechnics and colleges of education was put at 100.

Disclosing that the academic institutions are at liberty to raise their cut off marks for admission above the minimum set by JAMB, Oloyede stressed that no institution was expected to go below the cut-off marks and that no admission will be made by any institution without prior approval of JAMB.

He said: “For degree-awarding institutions, the minimum JAMB score is 120, for polytechnics, it ranges between 100 and 180 and for colleges for education, is 100.”

The JAMB boss disclosed that a Central Admission Processing System, CAPS, would be used to streamline admission processes among Institutions, while it addresses challenges associated with former approach.

He also stated that institutions could conduct dual mode system which involves both manual and the new module.

Oloyede advocated for a dynamic educational policy to facilitate admissions.

He continued: “All over the world, there is agitation for a dynamic educational policy. JAMB only admits for National Diploma not Higher National Diploma so why should we use the same requirement for ND and Bsc that is an unreasonable parity.

“We should not be sentimental in fixing our cut-off marks. We need not over-dramatise issue of cut-off marks.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who presided over the meeting, admitted acting in error in last year when he placed a ban on the conduct of post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Post-UTME by tertiary education institutions in the country.

The minister, who disclosed that government has lifted the ban, stated that he was forced to take the erroneous decision based on the information made available to him and the way institutions were using it to exploit candidates.

“At that time, it became an avenue for exploitation and a burden on many parents,” he said, adding that institutions were now free to conduct the exercise, adding that its fee must not exceed N2000.

Adamu said the 2016 admission process was a huge success, expressing optimism that government was working assiduously to make this year’s better.

Revealing that efforts were being made by the government to deepen access and revolutionise the sector, he expressed optimism that a good number of candidates who sat for the 2017 UTME would gain admission into tertiary institutions.