The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on Thursday said the newly Introduced Central Admissions Processing System, CAPS, would restore autonomy of Institutions and also curb what it calls ‘under the table admission’ that was common in the past.The Registrar of the Board, Ishaq Oloyede said this in Abuja during a Training and Sensitisation Forum on Central Admissions Processing system, CAPS, for 2017/2018 Academic Session.

The CAPS according to the board will ensure that candidates are fairly treated, expend admission opportunities as well as protect academic calendar.Oloyede identified lack of adequate space in Nigeria’s Tertiary Institutions as the reason why the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, would be necessary because of lack of enough space in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.

He emphasized that JAMB is a ranking body and not an examination conducting body like West Africa Examinations Council, WAEC, National Examinations Council, NECO and National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB. Oloyede condemned the “Under the table admission” decrying situations where Institutions admit above stipulated capacity.“JAMB is a ranking body not an examination body like WAEC and NECO, JAMB is to rank and to screen already qualified candidates, emphatically pass or fail is not the focus of any ranking body”.The Registrar stressed that it is not the board that qualifies a candidate but examination bodies and JAMB is not a certificate awarding institution.“If there are enough spaces in our Tertiary Institutions there may be no need to conduct UTME”, he said.Oloyede emphasized that Ordinary or Advanced level results are key qualifying requirements for admissions and that the board will not consider any candidates unless qualified by A/ O levels.

Speaking on the 2017/2018 Cut Off Marks, Oloyede explained stakeholders picked 120,110 and 100 respectively for Universities and other Institutions as threshold below which no Institutions can admit candidates.

The Registrar noted that scoring higher than the required Cut off mark does not guarantee admission but makes candidates eligible for Admission consideration.“The cut off mark is not fail or pass mark, it is not total score but one of the many factors that will be used for admission such as Post-UTME (where applicable),” he noted.Oloyede identified China, Iran, Republic of Georgia, Spain, and Turkey as countries of the world that share similarities with Nigeria in the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Board.The training is to empower stakeholders in enhancing efficiency.