The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced on Monday that it has resumed nationwide registration for the 2023 Direct Entry (DE) programme. Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede made the announcement at a press briefing in Abuja, noting that the registration period will close on April 28, 2023.
Oloyede lamented the high incidence of forged A‑Level certificates used in the registration process and explained that the board has introduced new guidelines to curb such practices. He recalled that the DE registration, which began on 20 February 2023, was immediately suspended after numerous attempts to circumvent and compromise the required A‑Level qualifications were uncovered. Recent joint operations by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission revealed many unsavory activities related to DE qualifications. Bayero University, Kano, also highlighted the prevalence of forged A‑Level certificates; of 148 candidates verified by the university, only six possessed genuine qualifications, meaning 142 were forged. The board, together with concerned stakeholders and institutions, is working diligently to detect and address these cases in accordance with the law.
For the 2023 Direct Entry registration, the board will accept only 13 specific qualifications or certificates: first degree, university diploma, Higher National Diploma, Ordinary National Diploma/National Diploma, Nigeria Certificate in Education, Interim Joint Matriculation Board A‑Level, Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board A‑Level, NABTEB Advanced National Business Certificate, NABTEB Advanced National Technical Certificate, NABTEB GCE‑A‑Level (2015‑2021), Higher Islamic Studies Certificate by NBAIS, International Baccalaureate, and National Registered Nurse/National Registered Midwife. The 127 candidates who had registered before the suspension will be required to return to registration centres to update their applications.
Oloyede also announced that the data bank created to address challenges with A‑Level qualifications has been renamed the “Nigeria Post‑secondary Education Data System.” Regarding the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), he said JAMB has introduced new measures and asked for public understanding. Although the innovations have been tested and certified, some hiccups may arise when the new technology is deployed nationwide. He emphasized that no examination will be allowed to start more than one hour after its scheduled time, as delays have been used to give undue advantage to certain candidates. If a session cannot commence within one hour, it will be automatically rescheduled, and affected candidates will be moved to a waiting hall to await the new date and venue, which may be later the same day or the following day.
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