From Owede Agbajileke, Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cautioned newly established, upgraded, and adopted tertiary institutions against illegal admissions, emphasising that there would be no leniency or regularisation for non-compliance.
At an interactive session in Abuja, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stressed that all admissions must go through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) and adhere to proper procedures.
He said: “CAPS ensures transparency, fairness, and integrity in admissions. Any institution attempting to bypass this platform risks nullifying such admissions.” Oloyede urged full compliance with the over 80 new institutions recently admitted by the federal government with the admission procedures.
The Registrar explained that the CAPS, introduced in 2017, automates and standardises the admission process, while the Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS), launched in 2018, facilitates clear communication and programme eligibility checks.
According to him, both platforms, now upgraded with institutional mail services, serve as JAMB’s sole official communication channels. Oloyede lauded the Federal Government for its commitment to expanding access to tertiary education, citing the approval of 22 new universities, 33 new polytechnics and monotechnics, and 12 new colleges of education across the federation between 2024 and 2025.
He noted that while CAPS and IBASS accounts had been created for these institutions, only programmes cleared by the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) would be activated.
The JAMB boss also outlined the proper procedures for onboarding candidates, stressing that institutions must nominate designated officers to manage CAPS and IBASS access.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, Prof. William Qurix, explained that the meeting was to acquaint heads of institutions with the workings and operations of CAPS and IBAS through which the institutions could communicate and interact with JAMB.
Earlier, the Director of Colleges at the Ministry of Education, Dr Uche Uba, observed that the new institutions must follow some criteria set by the NUC. Uba urged the upgraded education colleges to meet with NUC officials to familiarise themselves with the criteria.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of NCCE, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, commended JAMB for its effort to establish a seamless admission process for tertiary institutions. He encouraged the new colleges of education to run a dual-mode system (Degrees and National Certificate on Education) for the institutions in competition.
