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The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) has hosted experts from Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as Sierra Leone moves forward with plans to establish a centralized admissions system for universities and technical institutions.
The engagement focused on knowledge-sharing, technical guidance, and planning for the reform, which aims to modernize and streamline tertiary admissions across the country.
Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr. Haja Ramatulai Wurie, said the government is creating a Centralized Admissions Secretariat to address long-standing challenges, including delayed admissions, fragmented application processes, and the late release of examination results. She noted that legal provisions for such a system already exist in the Universities Act of 2021 and that Cabinet has approved its implementation.
According to the Minister, the reform is intended to address long-standing challenges, including delayed admissions, fragmented application processes, and the late release of examination results, all of which frequently disrupt the academic calendar.
“We want a one-stop shop where students apply once, and the system works with universities and technical institutes to ensure a seamless process,” she said.
At present, individual universities manage their own admissions, a system she described as historically chaotic, particularly in highly competitive programmes such as medicine. Under the proposed model, students would apply through a centralized digital platform managed by the Ministry in collaboration with universities and government technical institutes.
Furthermore, the Minister disclosed that the Ministry of Finance has approved the recruitment of staff to operationalize the Secretariat.
Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, explained that Nigeria’s centralized admissions system, established in 1978, was designed to eliminate duplication, improve transparency, and coordinate placements nationwide.
He stressed that a strong institutional partnership is essential. Universities, he said, must retain authority over admissions criteria, quotas, and programme requirements, noting that centralized systems function best when institutions remain actively involved in candidate selection.
Prof. Oloyede added that Nigeria’s model integrates candidate choice, institutional capacity (quota), and national standards through a digital Central Admissions Processing System that tracks decisions for accountability. He also pointed to the scale of Nigeria’s operations, which processes more than two million applicants each year.
Funding arrangements for the new system also featured prominently in discussions. Officials acknowledged that universities presently generate revenue through individual application fees, income that could be affected under a centralized model.
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