JAMB Moves to Curb Examination Malpractice, Says Candidates Must Declare Previous Registration History

Uche NnaikeThe Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed that candidates must declare their previous registration and admission history with the board, stressing that some students were involved in examination malpractice during the conduct of last year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Speaking in Lagos yesterday at a meeting with Commissioners for Education in Preparation for the 2025 UTME & Direct Entry Exercises, the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, noted that it was a crime for a student to run more than one undergraduate programme concurrently.

Oloyede added that the failure to disclose such prior admission was an offence, which would be sanctioned.Oloyede said only candidates who would not be less than 16 years by September 30, 2026 were eligible to apply for the UTME and be considered for admission.The registrar noted that underage candidates who would be less than 16 years old by September 30, 2026, would undergo an intensive evaluation to determine their eligibility for a waiver.

According to him, such candidates must have scored not less than 80 per cent in each of UTME/A’LEVEL, PUTME, SSCE and in the exceptional candidate assessment.

Oloyede said: “The sale of UTME application document, which is the ePIN, will start earlier than commencement of actual registration which is January 19 to February 26.“Actual UTME registration period is between January 26th to February 28th at all approved CBT Centres. “The close of  mock selection is February 16 while the sale of DE application documents and E-PIN vending will commence on March 2, and close by April 25,” he said.

He said unlike last year, the UTME results of the underage candidates would  be released only at the conclusion of the complete evaluation process.He said all centres participating in the UTME registration exercise would be monitored live from JAMB Headquarters, stressing that any centre whose registration activities cannot be viewed from its headquarters would not be paid, while such registration may be invalidated.

Oloyede revealed that 924 centres had been screened and provisionally listed, adding that they would go through the final test before final accreditation to participate in the UTME registration and examination.The JAMB Registrar stated that candidates  were  not required to pay any money as service charge to any CBT centre.On distant posting, he said JAMB did not post any candidate to any examination town (or group of towns) other than the one chosen by the candidate at the point of registration.He advised candidates to register  early since their preferred town may not have space for them at a late period, adding that the choice of a group of towns implied that candidates could be posted to any of the towns in the chosen group.