Why NCE Candidates Are Exempted From UTME — JAMB Registrar

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Segun Aina, has explained that the Federal Government’s decision to exempt candidates seeking admission into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes from the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is aimed at making entry into Colleges of Education easier and expanding access to teacher education.

Aina stated this while speaking with journalists at the National Retreat/Workshop on the Effective Implementation of the Dual Mandate and Strategic Plan for Colleges of Education, which was held alongside the unveiling of the new Dual Mandate Curriculum in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said the board’s responsibility was to implement the policy and facilitate admissions rather than determine government policy.

“The new policy provides that if you wish to study in a College of Education, the Federal Government has made the process easier for you. This is not a JAMB policy; it is a Federal Government policy communicated through the Federal Ministry of Education,” he said.

He said candidates seeking admission into NCE programmes will no longer be required to sit the UTME before gaining admission into Colleges of Education.

Aina explained that candidates could proceed directly to study for the NCE and subsequently pursue a degree programme after completing the certificate, provided they satisfied the applicable admission requirements.

He stated that the minimum entry requirement under the new arrangement was four credits in relevant subjects at the Ordinary Level, adding that candidates must possess the appropriate subject-specific credits.

The JAMB registrar said the policy was consistent with the Federal Government’s objective of improving access to teacher education and encouraging more candidates to consider Colleges of Education.

He also defended JAMB’s role in the admission process, rejecting the perception that the examination body posed an obstacle to candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions.

“I do not like it when people portray JAMB as an obstacle or a hurdle that candidates must cross. Our primary responsibility is to facilitate admissions,” he said.

According to him, the UTME was designed to provide a basis for ranking candidates for admission. Still, the government could decide to relax entry requirements for particular programmes as part of its education policy.

“The reason we conduct the UTME in the first place is to provide a basis for ranking candidates for admission,” he added.

The clarification comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to implement the dual mandate policy, which allows Colleges of Education to retain their traditional responsibility for awarding the NCE while progressively expanding their capacity to offer approved degree programmes in education, subject to regulatory requirements