The 2023 Direct Entry registration which was suspended to improve the registration process has resumed, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) announced on Monday.
The Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, made the announcement at a press briefing in Abuja.
Oloyede disclosed that registration for DE would close on Friday, April 28, 2023, lamenting the prominent forgery of A-level certificates during the registration.
He noted that the board had introduced new guidelines to address such deception.
He said: “You will recall that the board commenced the 2023 Direct Entry registration on Monday, 20th February, 2023, but had to immediately suspend it following the discovery of the plethora of devices and machinations to circumvent and compromise the standard of A’ Level qualifications required from DE candidates.
“Recall that recent joint operations of the Federal Ministry of Education and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on DE qualifications brought to light some of these unsavoury and nefarious activities.
“Bayero University, Kano has also consistently brought to the fore the high rate of forgery of A’ Level qualifications for DE.
“For instance, it was discovered that in previous years, some candidates used unacceptable and forged A’ level certificates/qualifications to register for Direct Entry and eventually got admitted. For example, out of 148 candidates verified by BUK, only six were found to be genuine. By implication, 142 of the results were forged.
“The Board, concerned stakeholders and institutions are working assiduously to detect such and the ones already found are being dealt with according to the provisions of the law.”
The Registrar further stated that the board would henceforth accept only 13 qualifications/certificates for the 2023 Direct Entry registration, which are; first degree, university diploma, Higher National Diploma, Ordinary National Diploma /National Diploma and Nigeria Certificate in Education.
“Others are Interim Joint Matriculation Board A’ Level, Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board A’ Level, NABTEB Advanced National Business Certificate, NABTEB Advanced National Technical Certificate, NABTEB GCE-A’ Level (2015 – 2021), Higher Islamic Studies Certificate by NBAIS, International Baccalaureate and the National Registered Nurse /National Registered Midwife,” he added.
Oloyede, however, directed the 127 candidates who had earlier registered for the 2023 DE before it was suspended to return to the registration centres and update their applications as would be requested of them.
He disclosed that ‘Nigeria Post-secondary Education Data System’ is the new name of the data bank set up to address issues around A-level qualifications.
The JAMB boss had called for understanding on the introduction of new measures to conduct the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
“The Board has instituted some measures which are to be deployed during the 2023 UTME exercise. Despite the fact that the innovations have been tested and certified, yet it is not unlikely that some hiccups might spring up when the new technology is deployed live and nationwide.
“We, therefore, solicit your support and understanding as we promptly address any unforeseen circumstances.
“One major feature of the new dispensation is that no examination would be allowed to take place after one hour of its scheduled start time because the Board has discovered that some of the problems reported at the centres are contrived to delay the commencement of a session in some centres with a view to securing undue advantage for the delayed candidates.
“Consequently, any session that, for whatever reason(s), could not take off within one hour of its schedule is automatically rescheduled. When such occurs, affected candidates are expected to file out of the examination hall into the waiting hall and await the new scheduled time and place which most likely would be the same or following day,” he said.