By Gabriella Ogbu
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that all necessary arrangements for the commencement of admissions into the nation’s postsecondary educational institutions have been finalized. According to a statement released by the board, the admissions process will officially begin following the annual policy meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Abuja.
The announcement was made in JAMB’s weekly news bulletin released on Monday, which highlighted that the meeting will be chaired by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman. The policy meeting is a pivotal event where the guidelines for the year’s admissions process are reviewed and adopted.
One of the notable features of this year’s admissions exercise is the inclusion of the National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award (NATAP-M Awards). This award aims to recognize excellence in the admissions process, with the overall winner receiving a substantial prize of N500 million. Additionally, other consolation winners will collectively share a total of N250 million.
The policy meeting is a significant gathering of key stakeholders in the education sector, including vice-chancellors of universities, rectors of polytechnics, monotechnics, innovation enterprise institutions, provosts of colleges of education, and other important figures. These stakeholders will review the results of the 2023 admissions process and evaluate the performance of candidates in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
During the conference, the minimum admission scores for the 2024 admissions process will be discussed and approved. The bulletin clarified that this minimum score is often misunderstood as a cut-off mark. Instead, it represents a baseline score that no institution should fall below, ensuring a standardized level of quality across all educational institutions.
JAMB emphasized that the decisions made during the policy meeting, presided over by the Minister of Education, serve as guidelines for all institutions. No institution is permitted to commence the admissions process before the policy meeting, as the Minister’s endorsement of the criteria is crucial for the integrity and uniformity of the admissions exercise.
The policy meeting sets the overarching norms for the admissions exercise for the year. Any institution found violating these norms will face sanctions, underscoring the importance of adherence to the established guidelines.
