The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that Direct Entry (DE) candidates seeking to gain admission to Nigerian universities will henceforth be required to sit for the UTME along with other candidates.

JAMB said that the new policy was to ensure that the DE candidates justify the possession of their A Level certificates.

This is disclosed in a statement made available to reporters in Abuja on Thursday by the board’s spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, at the end of its management committee meeting.

He said the committee meeting was held to appraise the recent crisis witnessed in the conduct of the 2023 DE registration.

Mr Benjamin said the policy change was also to holistically address all loopholes giving rise to abuses in the DE admission processes.

According to him, this policy is to be situated within the ambit of the board’s relentless efforts aimed at enhancing the growth of the nation’s education sector to promote transparency, accountability and good governance.

He said the development underscored the board’s commitment and determination towards changing the negative narrative of A Level admissions into higher institutions in Nigeria.

“The board has expressed its commitment to press ahead with its efforts to reposition the conduct of public examinations in Nigeria.

“The board stated that the seeming crisis was birthed by the implementation of some of its newly-adopted processes aimed at curbing infractions in the admission value chain given our national peculiarities.

“This policy is to be situated within the ambit of the Board’s relentless efforts aimed at enhancing the growth of the nation’s education sector as it would promote transparency, accountability and good governance,” he said.