Sierra Leone Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education & His Delegation
The Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education of Sierra Leone, Mr Sarjoh Aziz Kamara, alongside two Vice Chancellors from Sierra Leonean universities: Professor Edwin Momoh, Vice-Chancellor of Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology, and Professor Bashiru Koroma, Vice-Chancellor of Njala University visited the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, JAMB Headquarters, in Abuja Nigeria to understudy the nation’s centralised admission system.
This visit was instructive as Sierra Leone plans to establish a body similar to JAMB to streamline its admission process.
The delegation was taken through the examination and admission processes at the Board’s headquarters in Bwari, Abuja Nigeria, and participated in the 2026 Policy Meeting, witnessing firsthand how critical stakeholders are actively carried along in the admission value chain.
Appreciation
The Sierra Leonean delegation expressed profound appreciation to the Board, noting that the increasing admission population in their country has posed serious challenges and that the Nigerian model offers practical solutions to issues they had long sought to address.
Indeed, one can only imagine what Nigeria’s admission system would have looked like without JAMB. Those clamouring for the scrapping of the Board may better appreciate its strategic importance should such a situation ever arise, the Minister of Education of Sierra Leone, Mr Sarjoh Aziz Kamara said.
The 2026 policy meeting was attended by Vice-Chancellors of universities, Rectors of polytechnics, Provosts of colleges of education, heads of regulatory agencies, and other critical stakeholders in the education sector.
Admission Cut Off Mark
The meeting set a 150 minimum “Minimum Admissible Score” (formerly cut-off mark) for universities and Colleges of Nursing, and 100 for polytechnics. A major policy change dictates that candidates seeking NCE admission with at least four O-level credits no longer need to sit for UTME
- Minimum Admissible Scores (Cut-off Marks):
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- Universities: 150
- Colleges of Nursing Sciences: 150
- Polytechnics/Monotechnic: 100
- Colleges of Education: Exempted from UTME (No UTME needed for NCE).
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- Admission Guidelines & Deadlines:
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- Admission Exclusivity: All admissions must be processed via the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).
- Public Universities Deadline: October 31, 2026.
- Private Universities Deadline: November 30, 2026.
- Polytechnics/Colleges Deadline: December 31, 2026.
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https://policymeeting.jamb.gov.ng/
Sanctions For Illegal Admissions Outside CAPS
The Nigerian Minister for Education Dr Tunji Alausa has warned tertiary institutions in Nigeria on illegal admissions outside Central Admissions Processing System; CAPS would be sanctioned. He stated this at 2026 JAMB Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board in Abuja.
According to him, restoring credibility to Nigeria’s tertiary admission system requires strict compliance with established guidelines and transparency in the admission process.
“Admissions conducted outside this framework are illegal and will not be recognised,” Alausa said. “The era where institutions operated parallel admission systems to the detriment of deserving candidates must come to an end.”
He warned that institutions found violating the policy risk regulatory sanctions, including possible suspension of operational licences where necessary.
The Minister also reaffirmed that 16 years remains the approved minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria. He, however, noted that exceptionally gifted candidates may still be considered under clearly defined and strictly monitored conditions.
Alausa further linked ongoing admission reforms to wider education sector reforms being implemented by the Federal Government, including the expansion of digital examination systems, improved education financing through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, and efforts to align tertiary education with national manpower needs.
He also urged universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to strengthen their data management systems to improve planning, infrastructure development and student population tracking.
Also speaking at the meeting, Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Said Ahmad, called for stricter regulation of honorary titles and academic designations, stressing that academic recognition should reflect genuine achievement and merit.
“If you need to claim something, you need to earn it,” she said. “For someone to claim a position he has not earned is morally wrong.”
Strict Enforcement of Admission Regulations
Earlier, Registrar of JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, said the Board would continue to strictly enforce admission regulations, insisting that institutions remain solely responsible for initiating admissions through approved procedures.
“In the last ten years, you cannot find where JAMB admitted somebody who was not recommended by the institution,” Oloyede said. “The technology will not allow it.”
The JAMB Registrar disclosed that 41,027 underage candidates applied in 2024 under the category of exceptionally brilliant students, but only 85 eventually met the requirements for admission.
“Only 85 were adjudged qualified and admitted. They are exceptionally brilliant. We must not close the door against exceptional individuals, but the rules must remain,” he stated.
Oloyede also raised concerns over quota manipulation, illegal admissions and attempts by some institutions to compromise the integrity of the admission process.
According to him, some institutions allegedly encourage high-performing candidates to switch courses in order to create opportunities for lower-scoring applicants in competitive programmes such as Medicine and Law.
He further revealed that JAMB uncovered forged UTME result slips linked to international syndicates operating from countries including Cameroon and the United Kingdom.
“Some institutions and agencies abroad now rely on our certification, but UTME is a ranking examination, not an achievement test,” he explained.
Read More : JAMB Releases Over 1 million Results
JAMB Refutes Allege Candidates Kidnapping Issue
Source: JAMB Bulletin/ TVC
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