By Funmilayo Adeyemi
University of Ilorin and four others have bagged the National Tertiary Admission Performance Merit Award for their outstanding performance in the 2018 admission by Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who handed over the awards to the recipient institutions in Abuja on Thursday said tertiary institutions played important role in the survival of a nation.
Osinbajo, who was represented by Mrs Maryam Uwais, Senior Special Assistant in the office of the president, urged every institution to maintain and attain an acceptable standard.
University of Ilorin bagged the most subscribed institutions by candidates with a total of 86,401 candidates.
Kaduna Polytechnic bagged the most national institution with best in national spread of intakes as 0.25 which is admitting one in every 400 candidates.
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, bagged the award for the institution with the highest number of admission of international students with 37 intakes and Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, bagged the most improved institution over previous year in intake of female students.
Also, the University of Maiduguri bagged the most compliant institution in keeping within guidelines, rules and regulations of admission.
Each of the university received a cheque of N25 million from the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which organised the award.
The Vice President said that normal standard of requirement in teaching, learning, curriculum, research should be present in every tertiary institutions in the country.
“From the experience of the developed world it has been empirically proven that the future of a nation can be premised on who and what are taught in the instructions.
“The teachers, the students, the curricula, the researchers, the environment and other key components that operate in our nation’s tertiary institutions will continue to have great influence on the future of any nation”.
“That is why I believe that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board as a gateway of access to the nation’s tertiary institutions is of strategic importance to the government,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu congratulated all tertiary institutions for the sustenance of peace in their various institutions.
Adamu also urged other parastatals of government to support institutions in their bid to promote national development.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede said the idea of the award was developed during the policy meeting on admission into tertiary institutions in 2016.
Oloyede noted that the introduction of the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) in 2017 by the board led to the automation of the admission processes, devoid of any human interaction or influence.
He said this was aimed at ensuring that the candidates that genuinely prepared and excelled in their matriculation examinations are suitably placed in tertiary institutions.
He added that certain criteria were followed for the five categories of awards and prizes.
He, therefore, urged beneficiaries of the awards to submit a project for execution in their institutions, which would not be more than N25 million on which the amount would be expended.
