JAMB says no to underage, illegal admission
The Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, has cautioned tertiary institutions against illegal admission that might warrant regularisation after they had offered admission to candidates.
The Board boss who insisted that seeking regularisation was illegal, also warned against admission of underaged students.
Oloyede expressed disgust that the challenge of regularisation had denied most candidates the opportunity to participate in the National Youth Service Corps.
He stated this in Lagos on Tuesday during the opening of the 7th biennial conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria themed: “Effective University Governance: Role of Stakeholders.”
The JAMB boss also noted that for the sake of accountability, data protection and integrity of the nation, regularisation should be stopped, because it was illegal.
“I want to discuss what I call illegal admission. Many vice-chancellors don’t like the word, but the truth is that there is no need to regularise what is regular,” he said.
“Calling for regularisation after admission is illegal. Some candidates can’t go for NYSC because they were not properly admitted,” he said.
He also pointed out that admission of underaged and diploma candidates was also illegal admissions.
“About two months ago, I received a letter from a European country to confirm if a student graduated from a particular university because she is 15 years old and applied for a postgraduate programme. The question they asked me was ‘Is this possible in Nigeria?’
“Also illegal admission of diploma students needs to stop because last year, we admitted 9,000 diploma students; I was alarmed that about 3,000 students came from a particular university.
“Every one of us should be accountable because all these acts can damage our education system,”
Oloyede said.
Recall that the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, in April, had said the Federal Government was considering adoption of 18 years as the entry age for admission of candidates into universities and other tertiary institutions of learning
