The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has clarified that it is not responsible for the admission of Higher National Diploma (HND) students or the inability of some graduates to be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The Registrar of JAMB, Is-haq Oloyede, made the clarification during a meeting with the leadership of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) led by Eshofune Paul Oghayan.
In a bulletin issued on Monday and signed by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, the board explained that its mandate is limited to conducting entrance examinations and facilitating admissions into first-degree, National Diploma (ND), and Nigerian Certificate in Education programmes.
Oloyede noted that admissions into HND programmes are handled directly by polytechnics and are outside the board’s jurisdiction.
“The Board is not responsible for admitting HND students into polytechnics and therefore has no data to facilitate their entry into the NYSC scheme,” he said.
The clarification follows complaints from some HND graduates who have been unable to participate in the NYSC programme, particularly those who obtained their ND through part-time or non-regular programmes before pursuing full-time HND studies.
NYSC mobilisation typically requires candidates to have completed full-time study for their highest qualification. Irregularities in admission records, including part-time ND classifications or unprocessed admissions, often lead to rejection or the issuance of exemption certificates.
Oloyede advised affected graduates to channel their complaints to the relevant institutions responsible for their admissions.
He also highlighted the role of JAMB’s automated Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS), which manages admissions into tertiary institutions to ensure transparency and prevent multiple admissions.
According to him, any admission conducted outside CAPS is invalid.
The registrar further alleged that some institutions bypass the system and admit more ND candidates than approved by the National Board for Technical Education, creating discrepancies when those students later pursue HND programmes.
Oloyede also criticised certain “Daily Part-Time” HND programmes, describing them as exploitative and noting that graduates of such unconventional programmes are often rejected for NYSC mobilisation.
He revealed that some polytechnics had conducted illegal admissions, citing an institution with more than 42,000 irregular admission cases.
“If institutions follow the proper process, there would be no problem. On our part, we will continue to render quality service beneficial to all stakeholders. Let’s do things properly,” he said.
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