Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has revealed ongoing discussions with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) regarding the allocation of dedicated student SIM cards with restricted services.
Emphasizing the increasing significance of candidates’ registered phone numbers (SIMs), Oloyede highlighted that these SIM cards are now essential for carrying out sensitive operations.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Monday, the Board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, also unveiled the new procedure for accepting admissions.
He said, “ Either a candidate sends ACCEPT/REJECT on his dedicated phone line to 55019/66019, or a candidate accepts or rejects any admission offer (programme change inclusive) with his/her fingerprint (biometric) at an accredited CBT centre or any JAMB Office.
“The above newly-crafted methods of accepting or rejecting admissions, are aimed at protecting the details of the candidates and upholding the sanctity of the admission process.
“With this new method, the candidates’ registered phone (SIM) is now more important than ever, as it is now required to perform even more sensitive operations. We are in discussions with NCC on a dedicated student’s SIM with restricted services.”
He further said that seventy-seven percent of the 1,842,464 candidates whose 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results were released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Monday scored less than 200.
Giving a breakdown of the results of the 1,842,464 candidates released, Prof. Oloyede, noted that, “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above; and 1,402,490 scored below 200.”
The Board is expected to announce the minimum benchmark for the 2024/2025 academic session admissions during its policy meeting to be held at a later date.
Over the years, the benchmark for admissions to universities has hovered around 180 to 200.
