- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Government has affirmed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) status as the only authorised in charge of tertiary institution admissions across Nigeria.
This is coming under heels of media reports suggesting the Federal Ministry of Education’s alleged declaration of JAMB as no longer required for admission to tertiary institutions.
Reacting to the report in a statement issued on Thursday by it Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folashade, the ministry labelled the reports as false and misleading.
According to the statement, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, categorically stated that the report is false, baseless, and did not originate from the Federal Ministry of Education.
“At no point did the Ministry issue or authorize any statement suggesting that JAMB is no longer mandatory for admission into tertiary institutions.
“For the avoidance of doubt, JAMB remains the statutory and legally empowered body responsible for conducting entrance examinations and coordinating admissions into all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
“The established admission processes through JAMB remain fully operational, and any contrary information should be disregarded in its entirety.” The statement partly read.
The ministry further dissociated itself from the false publication, urging the general public to rely solely on official communication channels of the Ministry and JAMB for accurate and verified information regarding admission policies and education-related matters.
Alausa, according to Boriowo, reaffirmed the Ministry’s unwavering collaboration with JAMB and other relevant agencies to uphold transparency, fairness, and credibility in Nigeria’s tertiary education admission system.
He emphasized that the Ministry remains committed to protecting the integrity of the admission process and ensuring that merit and due process guide all admissions into higher institutions.
The Ministry further cautioned media houses, bloggers, and online platforms to verify information from official sources before publication to avoid misleading the public and spreading misinformation capable of causing unnecessary confusion within the education sector.
It reiterated that there has been no change in the existing role of JAMB which remains central and indispensable in Nigeria’s tertiary education framework, stressing that any publication or online post claiming otherwise is entirely false and should be treated as such.