www.jamb.gov.ng | Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board : JAMB
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is one of the most popular federal government agencies in Nigeria. Their main role is to conduct the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exams (UTME) for students seeking admission into institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. On this page you will see everything you need to know about JAMB; about, history, mandate/act, objectives/roles, current leadership, departments, and units, achievements, challenges, contact details. Here, you will also see all related news and the latest updates about JAMB.
Quick Link:
How to Check JAMB Admission Status
JAMB Change Of Course, Institution And Data Correction
JAMB CAPS: How to ACCEPT or REJECT Admission Offer
About JAMB
The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) is a Nigerian entrance examination board for tertiary-level institutions. The board conducts entrance Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for prospective undergraduates into Nigerian universities.
The board is also charged with the responsibility to administer similar examinations for applicants to Nigerian public and private monotechnics, polytechnics, and colleges of educations. All of these candidates must have obtained the West Africa School Certificate, now West African Examinations Council, WAEC, or its equivalent, National Examination Council (Nigeria),
Brief History of JAMB
The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board was founded in 1978. was in 1978 that the Federal Government of Nigeria established the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) to harmonize admissions into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
under the leadership of General Olusegun Obasanjo six (6) additional universities have been established. Consequently, the government set up a national committee on university entrance under the chairmanship of Mr. M. S. Angulu.
The Committee was specifically requested to consider the possibility of setting up a Joint Matriculation Board.The Committee recommended the setting up of two (2) bodies, the Central Admissions Board and the Joint Matriculation Board.
The Federal military government accepted some of the recommendations of the committee and set up the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. The legal instrument establishing the Board was however promulgated by the act (no. 2 of 1978) of the Federal Military Government on 13th February, 1978.
By August 1988, the Federal Executive Council amended decree No. 2 of 1978 to empower the Board to conduct matriculation examinations for entry into all polytechnics and colleges of education in the country and to place suitably qualified candidates in the available places in these institutions.
The amendments have since been codified into decree No. 33 of 1989, which took effect from 7th December, 1989.
JAMB Mandate/act
Here are the reasons why JAMB mandate/act was established.
The legal instrument establishing the Board was promulgated by the Act (No. 2 of 1978) of the Federal Military Government on 13th February, 1978. By August 1988, the Federal Executive Council amended Decree No. 2 of 1978. The amendments have since been codified into Decree No. 33 of 1989, which took effect from 7th December, 1989. Decree No. 2 of 1978 (amended by Decree No. 33 of 1989) empowered the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to:
(a) conduct Matriculation Examination for entry into all Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education (by whatever name called) in Nigeria.
(b) appoint Examiners, Moderators, Invigilators, members of the Subject Panels and committees and other persons with respect to matriculation examinations and any other matters incidental thereto or connected therewith.
(c) place suitably qualified candidates in the tertiary institutions after having taken into account:
(i) the vacancies available in each tertiary institution;
(ii) the guidelines approved for each tertiary institution by its proprietors or other competent authorities (iii) the preference expressed or otherwise indicated by the candidates for certain tertiary institutions and courses (iv) such other matters as the Board may be directed by the Honorable Minister to consider or the Board itself may consider appropriate in the circumstances.
(d) collate and disseminate information on all matters relating to admissions into tertiary institutions or any other matter relevant to the discharge of functions of the board.
(e) carry out other activities as are necessary or expedient for the full discharge of all or any of the functions conferred on it under or pursuant to this Decree.
10 Objectives/Roles OF JAMB
Here are the top 10 Objectives/Roles OF JAMB in Nigeria.
1. Conducting of UTME
2. Ensure Eligibility of Candidates seeking Admission into Tertiary Institutions
3. Structuring of The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination
4. Creation of Admission Requirements
5. Syllabus Development and Review
6. Brochure Review and Development
7. Collection and Dissemination of Information Regarding Admission into Tertiary Institutions.
8. Placement of Students into Tertiary Institutions
9. Equity of Educational Opportunities
10. JAMB serves as a Catalyst of Tertiary Education in Nigeria
The goals of tertiary education include:
- To produce students with physical and intellectual skills which will help them be relevant and useful members of the society.
- To develop and inculcate proper values for survival into students.
- To contribute to national development through high-level relevant manpower training.
- To produce graduates imbibed with good discipline and ready to utilize theoretical knowledge in a real-life situation to achieve success
Current Leadership of JAMB-Chairman/Registra
Prof. Oloyede, who was appointed as the Registrar of the Agency on August 1st, 2016, has completed his five-year term of office. The new registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is Mr. Fabian Okoro, Mr.Fabian joined JAMB in 1993 as a programmer and was appointed a deputy director in 2018, is said to be the most senior director in the establishment.
List of JAMB Departments and units and their duties/functions
There are 12 JAMB Departments and units and their duties/functions in Nigeria and they include;
1. Admission Department
This department has the power to:
- Reviews and updates the Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination (UTME) Brochure and
- Liaises with regulatory bodies (NUC, NBTE, and NCCE) to obtain data on quota-approved or delisted programmes for each tertiary institution.
2. Quality Assurance Department
The quality assurance department is charged with the power to
- Keep in custody all examination malpractice exhibits.
- Collation and review of all reports from examination centers
- Coordination of inspection and validation of examination centers
3. Test Development Department
The Functions/Duties of Test Development are
- Review and develop a syllabus for the UTME
- Recruit and supervise item writers and moderators
- Arrange for trial-testing and moderation of UTME items etc
4. Information Technology Services Department
ITS is a service Department that gives support to all other departments of the Board to enable them to function effectively to meet the statutory responsibilities of the Board.
ITS provides support services for the SERVICOM\Consultancy unit of the Registrar’s office. As it is today, virtually all the departments of the board need the support services of the ITS department to function effectively.
5. Psychometrics Department
The Psychometrics Department in JAMB is to;
- Determination of psychometric utility of UTME items through the conduct of trial testing of the item and test analyses for CBT.
- Calibration of test items using candidates’ responses using Item Response Theory (IRT) procedures.
6. Special Duties Department
The Special Duties Department is responsible for the following;
- Control and discipline of the Outstation Offices
- Coordination, collation, and distribution of correspondence and other materials from the Headquarters to the Outstation Offices.
- Liaises through the Outstation Offices with the state governments and other Organisations/stakeholders in the areas of common interest (Land acquisition, Courtesy calls, inquiries about the Board and programmes, etc.)
7. Finance And Account Department
- Preparation of the annual and medium-term expenditure framework.
- Budgetary and expenditure control.
- Insurance of Personnel and Assets
- Payroll & Salary control and liaison with the AGF IPPIS Office.
8. Human Resources Department
The human resources department duties are for;
- Providing Support to Office of the Registrar on Administrative matters
- Continuous update of staff nominal roll
- Provision of statistical analyses of staff strength and distribution
- Production of identity cards for current and retired staff
- Custodian of integrated Personnel Payroll System Platform
- Treatment of minor ailments of staff (primary health)
9. General Services Department
The general service department roles and functions are for;
- Maintenance /Repairs of the Board’s vehicles.
- Handling of general renovation works of the Board
- Supervision of all ongoing construction projects.
- Installation, maintenance, and servicing /repairs of electrical power equipment.
10. Test Administration Department
The Test Administration Department roles in JAMB is for;
- Provision and periodic review of the guidelines/instructions to examination officials..
- Correspondence with Federal and State Ministries of Education, Heads of Tertiary Institutions, Computer Based Test (CBT) Centres, and Security Outfits.
- Selection of examination centers.
11. Legal Department
The legal department in JAMB is to:
- Facilitates the initiation and follow-up of cases handled by External Retainers as and when due.
- Liaises with the External Retainers on appropriate representations and ensures effective handling of litigations involving the Board.
- Assists the Human Resources Department to conduct investigations on personnel-related matters and handling of Public Complaints as the need arises.
- Renders Legal advice/opinion on legal issues relating to the Board’s operations, personnel, administrative matters, etc
12. Audit Department
- Ensuring compliance with Audit Guidelines, Financial Regulations, Accounting Codes, and other extant rules by all staff under its supervision.
- Ensuring adequate supervision and auditing of disbursement of public funds, proper monitoring, and accounting for revenue generated.
- Advising the Chief Accounting Officer on all auditing matters, technical provisions of the audit regulations, and Treasury Circulars.
List 10 Notable Achievements of JAMB
Here are some of the notable achievements of JAMB.
- The reorganisation of the Board’s activities through the deployment of new technologies such as Computer Based Test
- The detection of abuse in Computer Based Test Centers both by Center owners and test-takers
- To administer the distribution of admission spaces in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner
- To ramp up capacity building in specific areas for its staff, and to save operational and management costs.
- Jamb has been able to discover and delist defaulting CBTs/Centers
- The elimination of the old-fashioned methods of using scratch cards, third parties, such as Cybercafes, and text messaging for checking UTME results.
- Provision of an automated Central Admissions Processing System
- The development of JAMB CAPs Mobile App for students to be able to login in with the phone number they had used for the UTME registration.
- The board has curbed examination malpractices and has restored the integrity and sanctity of the examination.
- introduction of Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS)
10 Challenges facing JAMB
- Jamb Website Hacking
It has been observed that hackers have hacked into different websites to steal classified information. The JAMB website is also affected by the hacking.
Hackers have continued to hack the JAMB website to download fresh questions and answers. This is achieved through the activities of corrupt JAMB officials and Yahoo Yahoo boys. Hacking makes the integrity of the questions questionable. The questions are downloaded and sold to dubious candidates who have an unfair advantage.
- Problems with PIN Generation
Many applicants find it difficult to generate pins on the JAMB website during registration. Some applicants go through the frustration of visiting the website several times before they can complete their registration.
- Accessing Jamb’s Website For Registration
Recently, prospective applicants register electronically on JAMB’s website. However, most candidates encounter problems accessing JAMB’s website to register.
This is caused by the poor design and development of JAMB’s website, a high amount of candidates registering on the site at the same time, failure to use the specific bandwidth required for such a website.
- Overcrowding At Registration and Examination Centers
JAMB conducts entrance examinations electronically which means that registration for its examination and sitting for the examination is also achieved electronically at approved cafes and registration centers.
However, it has been observed that these centers are not enough for the purpose of registration and examination. They are inadequate. Consequently, they become overcrowded. Candidates that want to register on time need to arrive early.
- Candidates Are Not Familiar With Computer-Based Tests
Most candidates cannot use the computer to answer different questions with different levels of difficulty. They cannot use the mouse to navigate through the questions. Consequently, they are not comfortable answering the questions, and hence, they perform poorly in exams.
- Bank Payment For Jamb Registration Is Problematic
Candidates experience problems when generating payment invoices online. Even after generating it, candidates still have to queue for long hours to pay for registration. Payment could be delayed by a network problem in the bank.
- inadequate Examination Centers
For JAMB to successfully conduct entrance examinations for prospective applicants, it needs adequate examination centers. Since JAMB has switched to the computer-based test format, examination centers are inadequate.
These centers have a shortage of manpower and problems with logistics. Because of these, candidates are frustrated, there is massive examination malpractice and poor performance by candidates.
- Manual Enrolment of Candidates
In the past, prospective applicants had to go to the JAMB offices and outlets, banks nationwide to purchase its forms. This made the process of registration tedious and problematic for candidates and their parents.
They had to return their completed forms in person to the zonal offices and the national headquarters in Abuja. In some instances, some applicants lost their application forms and consequently, lost the opportunity to write and pass the entrance examination.
- The problem of Power Failure
Recently, candidates take the computer-based test conducted by JAMB. This has eliminated the setbacks and frustration encountered during the conduct of paper-based multiple-choice examinations conducted by JAMB.
Despite this benefit, the conduct of computer-based tests is at the mercy of epileptic and erratic power supply in Nigeria.
- Internet Failure
The computer-based exam conducted by JAMB relies on the computer, internet connectivity, and speed. However, most examination centers have slow internet connectivity. In some cases, there is the failure of internet connectivity,
The internet bandwidth is slow, erratic and at times fails to connect. This makes candidates fail to answer all questions correctly and within the time allotted for answering them. Most candidates are logged out prematurely.
By extension, candidates perform poorly in the entrance examinations. It has also been observed that most centers use inferior and expired cables to provide internet connectivity. Some of them connect sub-standard cables to their systems.
JAMB Offices in Nigeria and their Address, Contact Details
Below are all the JAMB contact details for all the states in Nigeria.
