The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that it is not responsible for Higher National Diploma admissions or the inability of some polytechnic graduates to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
The clarification was made by the Registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Polytechnic Students.
According to a bulletin issued by JAMB and signed by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the Board emphasised that HND admissions are handled directly by polytechnics, not by JAMB.
The development follows growing complaints from some polytechnic graduates who were unable to participate in the NYSC scheme after completing their Higher National Diploma programmes.
Many of the affected graduates reportedly completed their National Diploma through part-time or other non-regular study arrangements before proceeding to full-time HND programmes. Under current NYSC mobilisation rules, graduates are typically required to have completed their highest qualification through full-time study.
Because of these conditions, some graduates have either been rejected from mobilisation or issued exemption certificates instead of being allowed to participate in national service.
The situation has generated frustration among affected graduates, with some blaming JAMB for alleged issues relating to admission records and data processing.
However, Prof. Oloyede said the Board has no role in HND admissions and therefore cannot be responsible for problems linked to those admissions or the mobilisation process.
“The Board is not responsible for admitting HND students into polytechnics and, therefore, has no data to facilitate their entry into the NYSC scheme,” Oloyede said.
He explained that JAMB’s mandate is limited to conducting entrance examinations and processing admissions into first-degree programmes, National Diploma programmes, and Nigerian Certificate in Education programmes.
Once a student completes an ND programme and proceeds to seek admission into an HND programme, the responsibility for the admission lies entirely with the polytechnic offering the programme.
JAMB also used the meeting to highlight the role of its Central Admissions Processing System in ensuring transparency and proper documentation of admissions.
According to the Registrar, CAPS was introduced to automate and regulate admissions into tertiary institutions.
“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,” Oloyede said.
He added that any admission conducted outside CAPS is considered invalid.
The Registrar warned that some institutions still bypass CAPS when admitting students into National Diploma programmes. In some cases, polytechnics admit more ND students than the quota approved by the National Board for Technical Education.
Such practices, he said, can create inconsistencies when those graduates later seek HND admission or NYSC mobilisation, especially when their HND programmes are taken in different institutions.
Oloyede also criticised certain “Daily Part-Time” HND programmes run by some polytechnics, describing them as exploitative arrangements that often create difficulties for graduates during mobilisation.
“Some polytechnics have conducted illegal admissions, with one institution reportedly having over 42,000 irregular cases,” he said.
He urged institutions to follow established admission procedures to avoid problems that could affect graduates later.
“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,” Oloyede said.
