The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) have introduced a one-time N4,000 fee for verifying candidates’ West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and other O’Level results for admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions.

Under the new arrangement, candidates whose admissions are regulated and coordinated by JAMB will only need to verify their WAEC results once through the board. The outcome will subsequently be made available to the relevant tertiary institution for admission screening, processing and other administrative purposes.

JAMB and WAEC said the measure is intended to ease the financial and logistical challenges candidates face when required to verify the same academic records repeatedly at different points during the admission process.

In a joint statement, the two bodies said candidates are to make the N4,000 payment through the designated JAMB Verification Service platform rather than through their preferred institutions. Once a candidate successfully verifies a WASSCE result, no additional fee will be required to verify that same result.

The arrangement is also expected to simplify access to the verification service. Candidates will be able to commence the process from home or another internet-enabled location, limiting the need for repeated trips to tertiary institutions or JAMB-approved Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres.

WAEC has authorised JAMB to provide the verification outcome to the relevant tertiary institutions. The institutions have therefore been instructed to use the verified results transmitted by JAMB for admission screening, processing and other approved administrative purposes.

According to the examination and admission bodies, the arrangement followed consultations between JAMB and WAEC focused on simplifying O’Level verification, cutting avoidable expenses for candidates and reducing the administrative burden associated with tertiary admissions.

The partnership is also aimed at improving the integrity and security of candidates’ academic records. By establishing a centralised verification process, the system is expected to reduce opportunities for fake or altered academic credentials to be used during admission processing.

JAMB and WAEC advised candidates seeking admission through institutions regulated by JAMB to use the designated verification platform and complete the exercise once, instead of making separate payments to individual institutions.

The policy moves O’Level result verification towards a centralised, technology-driven process that could reduce admission-related expenses for candidates while helping tertiary institutions minimise duplication in their administrative procedures.

Source: msme Africa online.