The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has rewarded University of Ilorin, Ahmadu Bello University, Federal University Wukari, Taraba State in its annual National Tertiary Admissions Performance Merit Award.
Others were Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbese, University of Abuja, Aminu Saleh College of Education, Azare, Lagos State University, University of Calabar, Cross River University of Technology, University of Benin, Bayero University, Kano and Federal College of Education (Technical), Potiskum.
While UnIlorin emerged the first as the 2019 institution of first choice for candidates in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria with a total of 108,917 candidates that chose it as their first choice, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria came first as the most national institution in 2019 and Federal University, Wukari emerged first as the 2019 most improved institution in gender balance.
The University of Ilorin with a total of 66 foreign candidates came first as the institution with the highest number of international students in the 2019 admission and Ogun State Institute of Technology, Igbese took the first position as the most compliant institution in keeping to the admission guidelines in the 2019 admission.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has awarded the sum of N375 million to five best performing Tertiary institutions in the country.
For these feats, JAMB rewarded each of the tertiary institutions with N75million cash prize, which Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Board said must be used for the construction of roads within campuses of the benefiting institutions.
Adamu Adamu, the Minister of Education, speaking at the event held on Thursday at the corporate headquarters of JAMB at Bwari, Abuja, congratulated the winners and applauded the efforts of the board towards ensuring excellence in the country’s tertiary institutions.
He said that the Federal Government would continue to play a critical role in teaching, learning and research.
Adamu added that the awards were one of government’s reward system and intervention to institutions.
” In 2019, JAMB at the first edition of the programme, supported the Tertiary institutions with the sum of N125 million and this year, the board is supporting the sector with the sum of N375 million, this is no doubt an excellent gesture, worthy of emulation,” the Minister said.
“I am aware that the board’s support for the education sector cuts across the Basic, Senior School and Tertiary Education through its Corporate Social Responsibility Agenda.”
He noted that the contributions to the education system should not be only limited or seem from the budgetary allocation of government to the sector.
” This does not negate the reality that Education is not receiving an equitable share of the national budget.”
He urged the National Bureau of Statistics, Federal Ministry of National Planning and the Resources Centre in the education sector to make concerted efforts to always elicit information from the Heads of institutions.
This, Adamu explained, would help document all forms of interventions such as the JAMB’s Performance Merit Award in order to fully appreciate the enormity of the resources committed to the sector.
The Minister, while congratulating the winners, also challenged the runner’s up and other institutions to rise to the occasion at the next edition to give the present winners a healthy fight.
