Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Is-haq Oloyede, has stated that the board is not responsible for the failure of some Higher National Diploma (HND) graduates to be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
He made the clarification during a meeting with leaders of the National Association of Polytechnic Students in Abuja.
The students, led by Comrade Eshofune Paul Oghayan, raised concerns about the growing number of polytechnic graduates who are unable to participate in the NYSC scheme after completing their HND programmes.
According to the JAMB registrar, the board’s responsibility is limited to conducting entrance examinations and facilitating admissions into first-degree programmes, National Diploma (ND), and the Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE).
He stressed that JAMB does not handle admissions into HND programmes, which are conducted directly by individual polytechnics.
Oloyede explained that because JAMB does not manage HND admissions, it does not possess the data required to process HND graduates for NYSC mobilisation. He therefore urged affected students to direct their complaints to the appropriate authorities, particularly their institutions.
Many HND graduates have recently faced difficulties joining the NYSC scheme, especially those who obtained their National Diploma through part-time or non-regular programmes before proceeding to full-time HND studies. Under NYSC rules, only graduates who complete their programmes through full-time study are eligible for mobilisation, while others may receive exemption certificates instead.
The registrar also warned tertiary institutions against admitting students outside JAMB’s Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS). He said admissions conducted outside the system are invalid and often lead to discrepancies that affect graduates later.
Oloyede further criticised some polytechnics for running what he described as exploitative “daily part-time” HND programmes.
According to him, such programmes often create eligibility problems for graduates seeking NYSC mobilisation.
He revealed that some institutions have admitted students beyond the quota approved by the National Board for Technical Education, leading to thousands of irregular admissions. In one case, he said an institution recorded more than 42,000 irregular admissions.
The JAMB boss advised institutions to strictly follow proper admission procedures to avoid future problems for students and graduates.
