The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has addressed the recent controversy over its newly released guidelines for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The examination body recently announced the commencement of
registration for the 2026 UTME and, in the newly released template under
section 4.3.4, stated that undergraduate candidates are required to disclose
their previous admission status before registering.
JAMB said candidates must reveal their matriculation status,
warning that false disclosure “will automatically invalidate the candidate’s
registration/previous admission”.
“Candidates are henceforth required to disclose their
admission (matriculation) status by indicating their previous registration
details with the year of UTME/DE at the point of registration,” the section
reads.
“Any false or non-declaration of previous
registration/matriculation will automatically invalidate the candidate’s
registration/previous admission.”
“Having been previously admitted (matriculated) and wishing
to change or start afresh in another institution or programme is allowed;
however, failure to disclose such prior admission is an offence.
However, the new policy generated some reactions from social
media users.
Alex Onyia, the social media education activist, expressed
dissatisfaction with the guideline.
“I’ve read JAMB’s new policy that says a candidate with an
existing admission must terminate it before registering again. I strongly
disagree,” he wrote in an X post.
“No serious education system asks young people to destroy a
valid future before qualifying for a better one.”
He claimed the policy means that candidates who are already
students would be forced to drop out of school.
Onyia added that the policy is “risk-induced”.
However, in a statement on Wednesday, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB
spokesperson, said the reaction is “misleading and unfortunate”.
Benjamin stated that the purported misrepresentation is an
attempt by some “self-styled education advocates for parochial interests”.
“For the avoidance of doubt and for record purposes, and in
line with its statutory mandate to prevent multiple matriculations, the Board
directed that all candidates registering for the 2026 UTME/DE must disclose
their matriculation status, where applicable,” the statement reads.
“It is not an offence for a candidate to register for the
UTME/DE while still enrolled in an institution. The law is explicit that no
candidate is permitted to hold two admissions concurrently.
“Furthermore, recent findings indicate that many matriculated students are engaged as professional examination takers.
“Mandatory disclosure therefore expedites appropriate action
whenever such candidates are apprehended.
“Although the Board’s system has the capacity to detect
prior matriculation, any candidate discovered to have failed to disclose such
status stands the risk of forfeiting both opportunities.
“The Board therefore urges the public to be cautious of
these so-called education advocates who are perpetually eager to mislead
candidates and parents for selfish gain.”
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