In a bid to curb the influx of candidates using unacceptable or forged A-level certificates to secure admissions, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is poised to block students from accessing Direct Entry admissions if their certificates fail verification.
A recent investigation by Punch reveals that students from at least 155 institutions may face this restriction due to their certificates not being verified by their awarding institutions.
The registration for Direct Entry examinations is slated to commence on February 28, 2024, as JAMB intensifies efforts to maintain the integrity of the admission process. This initiative follows an advisory issued by JAMB in February 2023, aimed at guiding candidates seeking admissions through Direct Entry for the 2023/2024 academic session.
JAMB has urged candidates to promptly contact their former institutions to ensure the verification of their certificates, emphasizing that unverified certificates will not be accepted. Despite JAMB’s outreach efforts, 2,795 certificates from 155 institutions remain unverified, with some institutions either partially or completely failing to respond to verification requests.
Notable institutions affected by this verification setback include Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo; College of Health Technology, Plateau; College of Education, Lafiagi, Kwara state; and College of Education, Oju, Benue state, among others.
Earlier initiatives such as the Nigeria Post-secondary Education Data System (NIPEDS) were introduced to facilitate the verification process. However, many institutions have yet to respond to verification requests, hindering the progress of certificate authentication.
In light of these developments, candidates holding certificates from institutions that have not responded to verification requests risk being excluded from the admission process until their certificates are duly verified.
