The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has commenced the sale of Direct Entry (DE) application forms for qualified candidates who possess A-level results and wish to gain direct admission to degree programmes in Nigerian tertiary institutions.The organisation has also commenced the sale of UTME application forms for Nigerians abroad and foreign candidates who desire to attend tertiary institutions in the country. A statement issued on Tuesday by the Spokesperson of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, obtained by Journalists in Abuja, said it had not determined the cut off marks for 2017 admissions, neither has it commenced the change of course and institutions.“JAMB has not determined the cut off marks for 2017. This is only done at a policy committee meeting with all stakeholders chaired by the Honourable Minister of Education which is yet to hold. Candidates should disregard any unauthorised information about cut-off marks for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)”, he emphasised.The JAMB statement reads: “The process is as it was with the UTME where you create a profile and obtain the pins and proceed for biometric capturing at the Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centres for Direct Entry candidates. We urge all candidates wishing to register through Direct Entry to obtain the pins at Interswitch, Remita or any of the commercial banks approved earlier for the vending of UTME pins.“The Board also wishes to state that it has not commenced the change of course and institutions. We will soon begin and when we do start, the changes will be done in all approved CBT centres nationwide. Candidates need not necessarily come to the JAMB centres for the change. It can be done in any of the CBT centres.“This is to avoid overcrowding of our offices for services that can be obtained at the utmost comfort by the candidates. The delay has been occasioned by the preparation by JAMB to ensure that the system is smooth and without encumbrances. The public is urged to note that every candidate desirous of a change of course or institution will be allowed to do so as the platform will be open until the close of admission.“Candidates need not panic or get desperate as it will not be closed as being speculated by those who want to use the opportunity of candidates desperation to defraud them. In view of this, they are not to patronise any fraudulent individuals or organisations but to visit approved CBT centres and never to hesitate in cross checking any information they are not too clear about.“Again we will continue to advise candidates not to be a victim of fraudsters who claim to have the capacity to inflate candidates scores, they do not have such ability and when caught JAMB will prosecute both the fraudsters and the candidate who patronise them.”
