LIVE UPDATES: 2018 Tertiary Institutions Admissions Policy Meeting | EduCeleb
EduCeleb
26th June 2018
The 2018 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria holds today from around 11am. EduCeleb would be bringing you live updates from the venue of the event at Bola Babalakin Auditorium, Gbongan, Osun State.
Recall that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) conducted the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for candidates earlier between March and May. The Admissions Policy Meeting is the next phase of the 2018 admissions exercise. It is today you would know the cut-off marks for admissions among other vital information.
To chair this event is the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu. He would be joined by heads of all tertiary institutions in the country.
The occasion is organised by JAMB. Heads of other examination bodies would also be present aside other stakeholders such as professional bodies, parents and the media.
You can also follow the proceedings on the network service of NTA. You may identify some information we may have overlooked. Kindly comment below on such information for the benefit of our audience.
If you want to follow the meeting, we advise you to ocassionally reload this page or click on “Follow Comments” button at the bottom of this page to get notifications when there’s a new comment or report from those monitoring it on NTA.
We, at  are hopeful that the outcomes of the meeting would favour admission seekers this year. Don’t forget to join us here from 11am.
11:35am – The Minister of Education, Adamu Ádámù and his entourage arrive. He is accompanied by Prof Anwuka, Minister of State for Education.
11:40am – The delegation of the National Universities Commission, National Commission for Colleges of Education, and the National Board for Technical Education arrive.
11:59am – National anthem recited
12:01pm – Minister of Education delivers his opening address for the event. Seeks further collaboration with the heads of tertiary institutions and promises to visit some soon.
12:06- Minister advocates the inclusion of others yet to be included (distance learning, part-time, sandwich, and the school of nursing students) in the admissions data
12:13pm – JAMB Registrar, Oloyede delivers his welcome address.
12:21pm – Oloyede reviews 2017/2018 admissions processes.
12:25pm – Nigerian universities are not exhausting their carrying capacities.
12:29pm – Professor Oloyede said that our use of the term ‘cutoff’ is inappropriate. Rather, it should be ‘Minimum UTME Score’. Not only the JAMB score determines the cutoff. Institutions have varying requirements.
12:33pm – Only 19% of candidates were qualified but didn’t gain admission in the 2017/2018 academic session.
12:36pm – He says most of the institutions that admitted candidates who scored less than 140 were from South Western Nigeria.
12:38 – Science, Education top the choices of candidates in universities.
12:40 – 64,508 were admitted for technology related courses while 26,671 in non-tech courses
12:42 – Ahmadu Bello University admitted candidates from all 38 states – 36 states, the FCT and international students.
12:43 – UNILAG admitted no international students nor indigene of the FCT
12:45pm – There is a decline in the number of international students in Bayero University. Only 3 students admitted.
12:50pm – UNILORIN admitted students from all 38 states. In fact, it has 117 international students from 9 countries.
12:54pm – 145 blind students admitted in 2017
12:58pm – Oloyede clarifies on the reasons why certain certain candidates in the past who wrote UTME multiple times did not gain admission after several attempts.
1:05pm – More than 80% of best graduating students scored below 200 over the years.
1:08pm – We reduced the registration form for international students from $150 to $20.
1:12pm – A total of 285 international students admitted into tertiary institutions in 2017/2018.
1:16pm – UNILORIN, Yaba Tech and Pefti top choices of candidates in 2018.
1:25pm – 9 keys would be used instead of 8 keys used last year
1:28pm – CAPS would still be used and improved upon
1:31pm – Oloyede advocates all inclusiveness in admissions in terms of nationalism, internationalism, and special needs people.
1:34pm – He advocates that institutions do complete admissions based on the given schedule.
1:35pm – To curb fake JAMB results and admission letters, a barcode and watermark of candidates is now shown.
1:37pm – Candidates can use Capsmobile to process admissions. Download it on Google play store.
1:40pm – ibass.jamb.gov.ng would be useful to check the JAMB syllabus, CBT Centre guide, among others. It is interactive for candidates and institutions to use upon login.
1:44pm – Oloyede demonstrates how to use IBASS.
1:46pm – IBASS would reduce the likelihood of candidates wasting their money as it would guide them aright. He concludes the session.
1:49pm – Plan to discuss the objectives of the meeting is disrupted by the need to have the Governor of Osun State speak to the gathering.
1:51pm – Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola gives his address.
1:52pm – “Don’t call me ‘your excellency'”, he said. He noted that it was unconstitutional,  contradicts human nature not be excellent, and puts man in the position of God.
1:56pm – Osun State governor governor reels on the works of his government and the challenges around that.
1:59pm – The most fundamental education is the foundation – basic education. The root of our challenges is in not taking care of basic education, says Aregbesola.
2:01pm – He also added the need to make education relevant to the people. Critical thinking, value addition, empathy and sympathy to our people are vital. We should review the policy of education at the basic level.
2:03pm – Adamu remarks that calling persons  traditionally a mark of respect and anticipatory of the excellence wished for the person.
2:04pm – Aregbesola leaves, accompanied by the Minister of Education and Minister of State for Education.
2:09pm – Minutes of the last year meeting are being reviewed.
2:19pm – VC University of Ibadan moves the motion to adopt minutes while FCE Obudu Provost seconds it.
2:20pm – Participants deliberate on mode of 2018 admissions.
2:22pm – Delegates agree that participants in admission processing should include the JAMB Registrar, Heads of institutions, Director of Admissions at JAMB, Admission officers of Tertiary Institutions, JAMB Desk officers and candidates.
2:24pm – Disagreement ensues on the length of time for given to accept First Choice admission exercise slated between 2nd July to 16th November.
2:32pm – Decision put to a vote among September, October and November 16th. The second group got the majority.
2:34pm – 2nd Choice admission is between 17th November and 17th December, based on unanimous approval
2:35pm – Policy guidelines approved by the policy meeting would be made available on or before 1st July, 2018.
2:36pm – Institutions should abide by admission guidelines their proprietors set as submitted to JAMB as that was to be advertised by the examining body.
2:39pm – Institutions should also abide by direct entry requirements and determine specific requirements if need be.
2:41pm – Candidates registered in an institution from 2018 must have been recommended by the institution, admitted and approved by JAMB, accepted the offer online on JAMB website at no cost, printed both result slip and admission letter and been screen and must present necessary credentials.
2:45pm – Candidates have one week to accept or reject admissions on CAPS. Those who accepted in error would have to depend on their institutions to release them before that could work.
2:48pm – “If the course we offered you is not what you read, you would not be accepted for NYSC,” Oloyede says.
2:49pm – The gateway point should rather be matriculation than the NYSC, someone suggests and that got adopted.
2:50pm – JAMB has the records of all matriculated candidates. Oloyede presents those of previous years and suggests that heads of institutions get either the hard or soft copy.
2:52pm – Candidates should use CAPS and Capsmobile for admission processing.
2:55pm – No institution must admit students lesser than its advertised JAMB mark minimum. For degree awarding institutions, it is 140; for National Diploma, it is 120; for National Innovation Diploma (NID) and the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), it is 100. These are based on what various minimums institutions submitted to JAMB.
2:58pm – Institutions with affiliated campuses in polytechnics or colleges of education should better choose the minimums. For instance, degree programmes in Adeyemi College of Education affiliated with the Obafemi Awolowo University could have 140 as JAMB minimum if they so wish as that couldn’t later admit anyone who scores lower than what their main university accepts.
3:03pm – 60-40 ratio for science and arts directive of the federal government should be implemented in universities and colleges of education.
3:06pm – Any request for corrections of the requirements for admission would be changed provided that they don’t violate that of the various regulatory bodies – NUC, NCCE and NBTE.
3:11pm – Private institutions have till 17th February, 2019 to complete admissions.
3:12pm – Colleges of Education request an extension of admission deadline to 17th January, 2019.
3:14pm – Government institutions offering IEI also advocate for an extension of admission to 17th January and that got approved too.
3:17pm – Any institution that does not admit students during the approved deadlines would have its candidates taken to other institutions on the expiration of the deadline.
3:21pm – Special arrangements should be made to exempt certain candidates from post-UTME. These include those in prison, and the deaf and the blind.
3:24pm – BUK VC proposes the reduction JAMB minimum score by 30 for the blind and the deaf.
3:28pm – The house approved that every institution should submit whatever concession for admission it has for the blind and the deaf to JAMB on or before 1st July.
3:32pm – Alhikmah University VC suggests that candidates with fake results should be reported to law enforcement agencies rather than just being disallowed from
3:34pm – The VC of Taraba State University proposes the inclusion of the mentally retarded in the concessions for admission.
3:35pm – Oloyede proposes that the VC presents a paper in it in the next policy meeting as that consideration could not be rushed now.
3:40pm – Professor Yanka, minister of state for Ghana gives his goodwill message.
3:41pm – Hon Zakari Muhammad, Chair House of representatives committee on basic education and technical services gives goodwill message.
3:44pm – NUC Executive Secretary, Adamu Rasheed commends JAMB Registrar in his goodwill messages and promises to discuss some of the issues raised in this meeting during the VC retreat holding in two weeks time.
3:49: Rasheed proposes rewarding institutions which play by the rules in admission processes.
3:53pm – Permanent Secretary of the federal ministry of education gives goodwill messages and promises to work with state governments further. He says that they are meeting in two days.
3:55pm – Mrs Anne Momoh,  Admissions Director at JAMB gives vote of thanks.
3:58pm – Meeting ends with national anthem
Thank you for joining us! Other information as well as details of the above live proceedings from the meeting would be presented in news stories later.