The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has clarified that it is not responsible for admissions into Higher National Diploma programmes or for challenges faced by some polytechnic graduates seeking mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
The board said misunderstandings about its role have led some affected graduates to attribute their mobilisation difficulties to JAMB, despite the agency’s limited mandate within Nigeria’s tertiary admission system.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, explained that the board only oversees admission processes into first-degree, National Diploma, and Nigerian Certificate in Education programmes, stressing that HND placements fall outside its statutory responsibilities.
Oloyede made the clarification during a meeting with leaders of the National Association of Polytechnic Students led by Comrade Eshofune Paul Oghayan, according to a bulletin issued Monday and signed by the board’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin.
He said many of the complaints stem from cases involving students who completed National Diploma studies through part-time or non-regular routes before proceeding to full-time HND programmes, circumstances that often conflict with NYSC mobilisation requirements.
“The Board is not responsible for admitting HND students into polytechnics and, therefore, has no data to facilitate their entry into the NYSC scheme,” Oloyede said, advising the students to direct their concerns to the appropriate authorities.
The registrar also highlighted that admissions supervised by the board are processed through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), an automated platform designed to improve transparency, prevent multiple admissions, and restore decision-making powers to institutions.
“CAPS automates the admissions process into tertiary institutions, addresses challenges associated with the manual approach, and empowers candidates with information on available institutions and programmes,” he said, warning that any admission conducted outside the system is invalid.
Oloyede further criticised irregular admission practices in some polytechnics, noting that such actions often create discrepancies between ND graduates and HND programmes in different institutions.
He revealed that one institution alone had more than 42,000 irregular admission cases and urged compliance with proper procedures, saying, “If institutions follow the proper process, there would be no problem. On our part, we will continue to render quality service beneficial to all stakeholders. Let’s do things properly.”
