The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has introduced measures to improve transparency in the admission process, allowing candidates to track their admission status and update certain personal details securely.
The Board said the changes were designed to improve candidates’ experience, reduce difficulties associated with registration and admission, and strengthen public confidence in the tertiary education system.
Speaking during an interview, the JAMB registrar, Prof. Segun Aina explained that candidates could now access more detailed information about their admission status instead of being left uncertain by generic notifications such as “not admitted” or “admission in progress.
According to him, candidates can also make changes to certain personal details, including their email addresses and telephone numbers, in situations where they lose access to their original contact information.
The registrar explained that JAMB had also strengthened its partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to address challenges involving changes to candidates’ names and other identity details.
He said the arrangement allows candidates to align their information with NIMC records, after which JAMB can retrieve the updated details while maintaining appropriate security checks.
He noted that the previous restrictions on changing personal information were intended to prevent candidates from manipulating their identities during the admission process.
However, he said technological improvements and collaboration with NIMC had made it possible to accommodate legitimate changes while tracking candidates’ records to prevent fraud.
The registrar warned that anyone attempting to exploit the system or manipulate personal information for fraudulent purposes would face the full weight of the law.
He acknowledged the contributions of former JAMB leadership, particularly the immediate past Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, in strengthening the examination system and expanding the use of technology.
On the Federal Government’s harmonised examination timetable, the registrar said the arrangement would require JAMB to conduct its examinations earlier, leaving the Board with less preparation time.
He, however, described the harmonised timetable as beneficial to the wider education sector because it would ensure that examination results were released within the period required for tertiary institutions to conduct their admission exercises.
He stressed that JAMB’s mandate extended beyond conducting examinations to ensuring a transparent, credible and fair admission process.
According to him, the Board is responsible for moderating the relationship between candidates and tertiary institutions to ensure that qualified applicants receive admission based on established requirements rather than personal connections.
He said the Board would continue to explore ways of improving assessment methods while ensuring that candidates admitted into tertiary institutions met the required academic standards.
