The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is expected to announce a new holistic policy with respect to admissions to Nigerian Tertiary Institutions on Tuesday, August 22, when the exam body should have concluded its ongoing deliberation.

The apex exam body had earlier said that it will hold a 2-day (August 21-22) policy committee meeting to determine cut off points for admission into various courses in Nigerian tertiary institutions for 2017.

It is understood that the meeting, which started yesterday, involves admission officers of Nigerian tertiary institutions, and is taking place at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja.

Premium Times reports that some of the issues discussed at the meeting include the introduction of Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) to ensure quality control, transparency and credibility of the admission process.

An attendee at Monday’s meeting explained that the new policy is expected to make provision for a ‘market place’ in the JAMB portal where institutions can go and ‘request for students in Nigeria who score their cut off points.’

“These institutions will write to JAMB to request for the students and also give them (students) three days to respond. Also, only three universities can request for a candidate if the policy is adopted,” the attendee said.

The new policy is also expected to allow institutions in Nigeria peg their cut off point after meeting with their respective senates.

The new policy will also give the academic board or senate of an institution the power to ‘allocate percentages to JAMB, the school and O’level results as these will be calculated to get the students’ cut off marks for post-UTME.’

It was also gathered that JAMB wants to ensure there is a unified time for closing admission in all universities.

If the policy is approved, there will be a portal for admission which will be based on cut off points, quota system and catchment areas.

“The new system is such that institutions can only admit those who meet their cut off points,” an admission officer for a tertiary institution who was at the meeting said, adding that “If a candidate does not meet the cut off, no matter whom he or she knows, such person cannot be admitted.”

The apex exam body is also expected to formally brief newsmen on the outcome of the meeting later today.

Meanwhile, JAMB has delisted management courses of some universities in its current admission brochure.

These institutions are Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Modibbo Adamawa Federal University of Technology, Yola (MAUTY), Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) and University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAW).

The delisting is sequel to an order by the federal government that the universities of Agriculture and Technology should stop running management courses and focus on their core mandates.

The directive was issued by the Ministry of Education after it was approved recently by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).