Nigeria: Direct Entry Registration - JAMB Decries Low Turnout of Applicants

JAMB advised interested applicants to register before the closure of its portal, saying it would not extend the registration deadline.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has expressed concerns over the low turnout of applicants for the 2024 Direct Entry (DE) registration for the admission processes into Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Though the registration is set to close on Monday, 17 June, the turnout has been underwhelming, the examination body said, in a statement by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin.

This is even as JAMB said it would not extend the registration deadline.

He said despite expanding registration points beyond the Professional Registration Centres (PRCs) in Lagos, Kwara, Osun, and Ogun states, the anticipated number of candidates has yet to materialise.

He added that the expansion to include additional registration centres was to accommodate all prospective DE candidates without hitches. However, the board said it has experienced low turnout, especially at key locations such as JKK Lagos, JAMB PRC, Ikoyi, and Ogba, Ikeja.

The statement reads in part: "For instance, in some of these extra designated registration centres, less than 10 candidates had presented themselves for registration, whereas the installed capacity of such centres was over 100 candidates per day.

"This notwithstanding, eligible candidates wishing to register for the 2024 DE are urged to take advantage of this window of opportunity to register, as no further extension would be entertained by the Board."

JAMB also reiterated that no further extensions will be granted, adding that eligible candidates are urged to utilise this last opportunity to register, as "the Board would not listen to any further call for extension when it eventually closes the exercise on Monday, 17 June 2024."

Supplementary UTME

Mr Benjamin added that JAMB has scheduled the 2024 Supplementary Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for Friday, 21 June, and Saturday, 22 June.

The Board had earlier announced only Saturday, 22 June, but now added Friday, 21st June, 2024.

"Furthermore, candidates, who printed their supplementary UTME notification slip, and saw their schedule reading Friday, 21 June 2024, needed not worry as it falls within the time allocated for the examination," he said.

Backstory

The 2024 Direct Entry registration commenced on Wednesday, 28 February, and was supposed to end on Thursday, 28 March. However, after several subsequent considerations, the examination body extended the exercise to Monday, 17 June 2024.

Direct Entry registration is for candidates with A-level results who are admitted to universities in the second year.

In 2023, JAMB introduced a new verification system for the A'Level results when it discovered that registrants had devised means of circumventing the A-level qualifications required from DE candidates.

The examination body had discovered that some candidates presented fake results, thereby forcing it to introduce strict measures to check the legitimacy of A-level results.

Part of the measures to curb fake results was the constitution of an A-level result verification task force as well as the creation of a common platform for the verification of A-level results and certificates.

JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, also listed 13 acceptable qualifications for Direct Entry Registration. These, he said, include a university diploma, Ordinary National Diploma (OND), National Diploma (ND), Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), Higher National Diploma (HND), and a university degree.

Others are authentic results from A-level examination bodies such as Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB), Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board (JUPED), NABTEB Advanced National Business Certificate, NABTEB Advanced National Technical Certificate, NABTEB GCE-A'Level (2015 - 2021), Higher Islamic Studies Certificate by NBAIS, International Baccalaureat,e and the National Registered Nurse/ Midwivery certificates.

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