The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has set the national minimum benchmark for 2019/20 admission exercise in Nigeria.

The Board set 160 and above as cut-off mark for public universities and 140 for private universities. The policy meeting also fixed 120 for public polytechnics, 110 for private polytechnics, 100 for Colleges of Education and 90 for Innovation Enterprise Institutions.

The decision to set the benchmark was taken on Tuesday in Gbongan, Osun State, at the Policy Meeting on admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria. According to JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, the benchmark was arrived at after aggregating institutional cut-off marks of all concerned institutions in the country.

In a plea to all tertiary institutions in the country, the Registrar enjoined all to ensure admissions were done on merit and to ensure fairness to deserving candidates. He also stressed that candidates with special needs should also be considered in the admission process.

Professor Oloyede also noted that owing to multiple registration of candidates discovered nationwide, the Board would continue its biometric data and image capturing system for future admission applications. To forestall any further breach of its admissions process and reduce multiple registration, the examination body said each tertiary institution in the country would be granted access to JAMB Portal to verify individual candidates who applied for admission.

In his remarks, Mr. Joel Ojo, Director of Tertiary Education, who represented the Minister of Education, underscored the importance of the Policy Meeting and implored all tertiary institutions in the country to adhere strictly to all decisions reached.

“I am aware that the Policy Meeting remains the acceptable forum where plans and programmes for Admissions are discussed and approved to guide the conduct of placement of suitably qualified candidates to Tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Therefore, the decisions we take at this gathering have lots of implications on lives of many youth in Nigeria.”

“It therefore behooves us to be very sensitive, transparent, honest and sincere in our consideration of guidelines, regulations and principles on the admissions exercise.

” Let me assure you that Government knows that the ability and willingness to respond to changes, particularly in tracking and checkmating abuses of a system is very expensive, yet it is an expense that we must bear its cost in the overall interest of the nation. I therefore urge all educational assessment practitioners to continually re-strategize, re-tool and re-invent your systems of registration of candidates, development and administration of your examination and post examination processes and activities”.

Earlier, the Chairman, Governing Board of JAMB, Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe, had said the Board was striving to provide a unique standard that would be acceptable to students, parents and all Nigerians. He also commended the JAMB Registrar for his commitment and integrity, adding that his transparency, accountability and dedication had put the exam body on an enviable pedestal of credibility.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) insisted that the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) would be used for the 2019 admissions exercise.