Candidates who gained illegal admission into Nigerian colleges of education could soon have their status regularised, after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board opened a window for institutions to submit records for possible condonement.
The exercise follows an approval granted by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, permitting the condonement of candidates illegally admitted into colleges of education during the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic sessions.
To set the process in motion, JAMB has written to provosts across the country, directing them to compile and submit complete lists of affected candidates within their institutions.
The letter, signed by the Board’s Director of Admissions, Mohammed Babaji, on behalf of the Registrar, explained, “I write to refer to the approval granted by the Honourable Minister of Education regarding the condonement of candidates illegally admitted into Colleges of Education for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 and to request your institution to submit the complete list of all candidates who have been illegally admitted into your College for possible condonement within the approval granted.”
Institutions have been instructed to compile the records in Excel format using a template provided by the Board, with strict warnings issued against inaccurate or incomplete submissions.
JAMB emphasised that records must be verified and endorsed by the Provost, noting that submissions “should be accurate, complete, and duly endorsed by the Provost,” while cautioning that “any false declaration or omission will not be condoned.”
The Board disclosed that the submissions would allow it to process and consider the affected cases in accordance with the Minister’s approval.
Illegal admissions have remained a persistent challenge within Nigeria’s tertiary education system, with institutions occasionally found to admit candidates outside JAMB’s approved process. Such cases often leave affected students without properly captured records in the Board’s Central Admissions Processing System, a platform used to centralise admissions data across Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
Students affected by such gaps frequently face difficulties obtaining recognised admission records or completing processes that require confirmation of their admission status, while institutions found admitting candidates outside approved quotas or procedures risk running afoul of JAMB’s regulatory guidelines.
JAMB has consistently cautioned tertiary institutions against bypassing its admission procedures, insisting that compliance remains non negotiable regardless of institutional pressures. With the current window now open, affected candidates await word on whether their institutions will submit accurate and timely records, a factor that will ultimately determine the success of the condonement exercise.
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