Dare Babalola
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has absolved itself of responsibility for Higher National Diploma (HND) admissions and the attendant challenges with National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation.
This clarification emanated from JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, during a meeting with leaders of the National Association of Polytechnic Students, headed by Comrade Eshofune Paul Oghayan.
This was contained in a bulletin released by the Board on Monday and signed by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin.
A significant number of HND graduates, especially those who pursued part-time or non-regular National Diploma programmes before transitioning to full-time HND studies, continue to face obstacles in securing NYSC mobilisation.
NYSC eligibility typically requires full-time study for the highest qualification.
Irregularities in admission processes, including part-time ND classifications or unprocessed admissions, often result in rejections or exemption certificates being issued instead of service participation.
This has understandably frustrated affected polytechnic alumni, who’ve sometimes pinned the blame on JAMB, citing alleged data or processing issues.
Prof. Oloyede informed the students that JAMB‘s mandate is strictly limited to conducting examinations and facilitating admissions into first-degree, National Diploma, and Nigerian Certificate in Education programmes – explicitly excluding HND programmes.
“The Board is not responsible for admitting HND students into polytechnics and, therefore, has no data to facilitate their entry into the NYSC scheme,” he said.
He advised the students to channel their grievances to the appropriate quarters for redress.
He explained that once candidates graduate from ND programmes and seek HND admission, the responsibility lies with the individual institutions, not JAMB.
Central Admissions Processing System
The Registrar also highlighted that JAMB conducts admissions through its automated Central Admissions Processing System.
CAPS, he said, streamlines admissions, restores institutional autonomy, expands opportunities, prevents multiple admissions, and ensures transparency.
He warned that any admission conducted outside CAPS is null and void.
“CAPS automates the admissions process into tertiary institutions, addresses challenges associated with the manual approach, and empowers candidates with information on available institutions and programmes,” Prof. Oloyede said.
The Registrar added that some institutions bypass CAPS, admitting more ND candidates than allowed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
This, he noted, creates discrepancies between ND graduates and their HND counterparts, especially when the HND programme is at a different institution.
He also criticized some “Daily Part-Time” HND programmes, which he described as exploitative, noting that NYSC often rejects graduates of unconventional programmes, making it impossible for them to be mobilised.
“Some polytechnics have conducted illegal admissions, with one institution reportedly having over 42,000 irregular cases,” he said.
“If institutions follow the proper process, there would be no problem. On our part, we will continue to render quality service beneficial to all stakeholders. Let’s do things properly,” Prof. Oloyede advised.
