JAMB TAKES CHARGE OF HND ADMISSIONS AS NBTE MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL PRACTICES

The National Board for Technical Education has announced that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board will now coordinate all Higher National Diploma admissions in polytechnics and other affected tertiary institutions across Nigeria. The new arrangement, which takes effect from the current academic session, is aimed at sanitising the admission process and tackling illegal and irregular admissions.

The NBTE disclosed the development in a circular dated September 9, 2026, signed by its Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, and addressed to rectors and provosts of institutions affected by the directive. The institutions covered include polytechnics, allied institutions, colleges of nursing sciences and colleges of health technology offering HND programmes.

Under the new arrangement, JAMB will take responsibility for processing HND admissions instead of allowing individual institutions to independently handle the process. The move is part of efforts by the Federal Government and education regulators to ensure that admissions follow approved procedures and to reduce opportunities for compromised or unapproved admissions.

The directive also places greater responsibility on the management of the affected institutions to comply with the new admission process. Reports on the circular indicate that institutions that disregard the directive could face regulatory consequences, including possible action against their operating licences.

The development comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to tighten admission and accreditation standards across tertiary institutions. JAMB's statutory mandate already includes placing qualified candidates in tertiary institutions and handling matters relating to admissions, while the new policy extends its role to the processing of HND admissions in the affected institutions.