The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has restated that the board is not an examination body but an educational assessment and admission agency, stressing that its core mandate is to facilitate entry into tertiary institutions.
Oloyede made the clarification while speaking at the maiden Rite Foods National Academic Excellence Awards, held at the Civic Centre, Lagos, where seven undergraduates shared N35m in prizes.
Speaking, Oloyede stressed that JAMB’s function is often misunderstood in Nigeria, where many tend to equate it with traditional examination bodies such as the West African Examination Council and the National Examinations Council.
He said, “We conduct exams, but we are not an examination company. You cannot say the University of Lagos is an examination body because it conducts examinations.
The same way, JAMB conducts exams, but JAMB is not an examination body,” he said.
He explained that while examination is one of JAMB’s operational tools, the board’s primary responsibility is admission into tertiary institutions.
“If you want to know what an examination body is, look at WAEC or NECO. Their names clearly show they are examination bodies. JAMB is an educational assessment body, and its goal is admission, not examination,” he added.
The JAMB boss noted that undue emphasis placed on the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Nigeria has led to misconceptions about the board’s role.
“There is a hype about UTME in Nigeria. People believe it is the golden key to tertiary institutions. It is not so,” he said, explaining that admission is determined by multiple stages and not UTME scores alone.
He stressed that candidates’ performance in UTME is only one component in a broader admission process that also considers other qualifications required by institutions.
Oloyede further explained that celebrating UTME high scores without considering eligibility for admission could be misleading.
“Many people have high scores but do not have the required subject combinations or qualifications for admission. That is why celebrating UTME alone can be misleading,” he said.
According to him, JAMB serves as a clearing house for the multitude of candidates and is designed to ensure fairness and proper placement of candidates into tertiary institutions based on merit and requirements.
He maintained that the board will continue to emphasise its role as an admission-focused agency rather than an examination body, noting that public understanding of its mandate is critical to reducing misconceptions about the UTME process.
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