The story of Adisa, a student who was admitted into the Lagos State Polytechnic (now Lagos State University of Science and Technology) in 2019, highlights the struggles many students face due to illegal admissions conducted by higher institutions across Nigeria.
Adisa, whose full name is withheld, was admitted to study Accountancy at the Isolo campus of the then-Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) via the Daily Part Time (DPT) programme.
However, he could not print out his admission letter from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) portal, raising concerns for his father.
Admission Promises Unfulfilled
According to the processes laid down by JAMB, all admissions are to be processed through the Central Admissions Processing Systems (CAPS).
Despite this, Adisa and his colleagues were assured by the school authorities that their DPT admissions were valid and that they would attend classes and sit for the same examinations as those admitted through CAPS.
For three years, Adisa attended classes regularly, expecting that the school would streamline their admissions in line with JAMB’s requirements.
Unfortunately, that promise was not fulfilled. Even after completing his National Diploma (ND) programme, Adisa remains in limbo, unable to secure admission to another polytechnic for his Higher National Diploma (HND) course, as the JAMB admission letter for his ND programme is required.
A Nationwide Issue
Adisa’s case is not isolated. Across the country, institutions have conducted over 470,000 illegal admissions, often overshooting their admission quotas, particularly in professional courses like Law, Medicine, and Nursing.
This has left many students unable to progress to Law School or receive induction by their professional bodies.
Motivations Behind Illegal Admissions
Educationist Mr. Kolapo Akinleye explained that the primary motivation for institutions engaging in illegal admissions is financial.
“For federal institutions, most of the fees they generate from regular students are paid into the Treasury Single Account (TSA). That has limited their access to the funds,” he said.
“But what they do is to hide under their consultancy arms, and come up with all these programmes.
They have the real part-time programmes, they also have the ones that are part-time but which they disguise as full-time, their DPT programmes. The fees are usually higher than the regular ones.”
Mr. Akinleye also noted the high demand for admission spaces as a contributing factor.
“Yearly, over one million applicants are not offered admission through the UTME or Direct Entry channel. Some of the affected candidates seek succour in the part-time programmes and others.
You can’t blame them as our society places too much emphasis on paper qualifications,” he added.
JAMB’s Response to Illegal Admissions
In response to the widespread issue, JAMB has vowed to curb illegal admissions and has given institutions one month to disclose their figures or face severe sanctions.
The Board has instructed that admissions conducted outside CAPS before 2017 should be made public.
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor for JAMB, said, “The attention of the Board has been drawn to the predilection of some institutions to admit candidates outside the approved Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) platform and process such through the condonement of illegal admissions window to accord legitimacy.”
“To close this abused window, the Board has decided that all institutions should now (or never) disclose all candidates illegally admitted before 2017 whose records are in their system within the next one month beginning from 1st August 2024; and any admission purportedly given before 2017 will no longer be recognised or condoned unless disclosed within this one-month window.”
“Institutions are advised to comply with this directive as there will not be any further confinement of hitherto unrecorded candidates who did not even register with JAMB not to talk of sitting for any entrance examination.
This move is aimed at curbing illegal admissions and falsification of records while ensuring compliance with the provisions of CAPS,” Dr. Benjamin added.
Conclusion: The Future of Students Like Adisa
The case of Adisa and countless other students trapped in similar situations underscores the urgent need for reforms in the admission processes of higher institutions in Nigeria. As JAMB takes steps to enforce compliance with CAPS, the hope is that these efforts will bring an end to the era of illegal admissions and provide a clear path forward for students seeking to further their education.
