The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has called on parents to stop making unfounded allegations against universities over perceived unfair denial of admission to their children.
JAMB issued the advisory on Sunday via a statement by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin following a series of complaints, including a recent case involving Mr. Godwin Nsan, who accused the University of Calabar of unjustly denying his son admission.
JAMB clarified that the candidate in question scored 201 in UTME with an aggregate score of 34%, falling below the university’s admission cut-offs of 55% (Merit), 35% (Catchment), and 35% (ELDS).
Benjamin explained, ‘He had unduly castigated the university, but when he finally provided the required details, it became clear that his child did not meet the admission criteria.’
Similarly, a senior public figure accused Modibbo Adama University, Yola, of admission irregularities, but according to JAMB, their investigation proved the claims baseless.
JAMB also responded to a case where a father alleged that his son, who scored 345 in UTME, was unjustly denied admission by the University of Jos. The Board invited the father and son to its headquarters, where it was revealed that the candidate ranked 86th, while only 68 candidates could be admitted based on merit.
Benjamin said, ‘It is essential to note that in some universities, a score of 345 might rank a candidate as low as 300, depending on the institution’s subscription capacity. The father later apologised after seeing the ranking process.’
JAMB further warned against abuse of the “exceptionally brilliant window” introduced for candidates under 16 years old, stating that an unrealistic number of candidates have been registered through this category, unlike global standards where only a few qualify.
The Board reaffirmed its commitment to fair and transparent admissions, warning that a senior university official is currently being prosecuted for admission fraud, with four others under investigation.
‘We urge parents to refrain from jumping to conclusions without considering the performance of other candidates. The UTME serves as a ranking examination by determining a candidate’s position within a cohort for the limited available spaces in our nation’s tertiary institutions,’ Benjamin stated.
