Halt tertiary admissions until GCE results are released — Private schools

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By Vincent Ujumadu

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The Owners of Private Schools Association of Nigeria, OPSAN, has called on the Federal Government to suspend the ongoing admission process for the 2026/2027 academic session until all outstanding O’Level examination results are released.

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The association made the demand in a statement signed by its National President, Prof. Uzochukwu Solomon Nwanonyuo, after a stakeholders’ meeting.

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OPSAN faulted the decision to proceed with admissions based on available West African Examinations Council, WAEC, results while results from other examination bodies, including the National Examinations Council, NECO, and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB, are still pending.

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According to the association, some public, mission and private secondary schools are yet to receive their 2025/2026 WAEC results, while NECO and NABTEB are also yet to release their results.

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It noted that many universities had already commenced and, in some cases, concluded their Post-UTME and admission processes despite the situation.

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OPSAN said many candidates depend on NECO and NABTEB results for admission into tertiary institutions, particularly students from technical colleges, federal science and technical colleges, and vocational and commercial schools.

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“Continuing admissions without their results automatically shuts these students out. This is not proper and not justified. Some federal universities have already concluded admissions for professional courses, while students waiting for NECO and NABTEB have not even had a chance,” the association stated.

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It appealed to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to urgently intervene and direct the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to suspend the admission process until all O’Level results are available.

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The association also urged the National Universities Commission, NUC, to direct universities nationwide to suspend Post-UTME and admission processes pending the release of all outstanding results.

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OPSAN further called on WAEC to publish a comprehensive list of candidates who sat for the 2025/2026 examination, while urging NECO and NABTEB to expedite the release of their results.

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The association described the situation as a national concern, arguing that Nigeria’s examination bodies should not be disadvantaged in the admission process while preference is given to WAEC, a regional examination body.

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OPSAN warned that relying solely on WAEC results for UTME admissions could undermine confidence in NECO and NABTEB and create an uneven playing field for candidates.

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“JAMB granting admission without waiting for NECO and NABTEB is a slap on our national examination bodies. Nigeria, at this stage of development, should be strengthening NECO and NABTEB, not indirectly making WAEC the only yardstick for UTME admissions.

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“All O’Level results must be released before admissions commence to give every Nigerian child a level playing ground,” Nwanonyuo said.

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