The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will on Monday hold its 2026 Policy Meeting, where key stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector are expected to deliberate on and adopt guidelines for admissions into tertiary institutions across the country.
The meeting, which will be chaired by the Minister of Education, is expected to determine the minimum admissible scores for candidates seeking admission into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions for the 2026 academic session.
JAMB disclosed that this year’s policy meeting would also attract international attention, as a delegation from Sierra Leone is currently in Nigeria to understudy the country’s centralised admission system with a view to replicating it in their country.
The delegation comprises Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Education, Mr. Sarjoh Aziz Kamara; the Vice-Chancellor of Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology, Prof. Edwin Momoh; and the Vice-Chancellor of Njala University, Prof. Bashiru Koroma.
According to JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Sierra Leonean officials were on Sunday taken through the Board’s examination and admission processes at its headquarters in Bwari, Abuja.
Benjamin stated that the visitors would also observe proceedings at the policy meeting to gain firsthand experience of how stakeholders are integrated into Nigeria’s admission process.
He noted that the delegation expressed appreciation to JAMB for providing practical insights into managing large-scale admissions, adding that Sierra Leone is considering establishing an agency similar to JAMB to coordinate admissions into its tertiary institutions.
The JAMB spokesperson further stated that the Sierra Leonean delegation acknowledged that the growing number of admission seekers in their country had created significant challenges, making the Nigerian model attractive as a workable solution.
Benjamin also defended the relevance of JAMB amid recurring calls for its scrapping, arguing that the Board remains central to maintaining order, transparency and coordination in Nigeria’s tertiary admission system.
