No more UTME for Candidates Seeking Admission into Education Programmes and Non-Engineering Agriculture Courses - JAMB

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that candidates seeking admission into Education programmes and non-Engineering Agriculture courses are exempted from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

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This was stated directly in a post by the official JAMB X account (@JAMBHQ)

Exact Announcement:

“Candidates seeking admissions into Education Programs and Agriculture non-Engineering Courses are now exempted from UTME.”

The exemption applies to relevant programmes in universities, colleges of education, and polytechnics (including National Diploma programmes in non-technology agricultural courses).

No further details were provided in the initial announcement regarding implementation date, specific O’level requirements, screening process, or whether candidates still need to register with JAMB. 

Public Reactions 

The announcement has generated strong reactions online, with many users criticising the move:

Concerns that it will lead to lower standards and produce less competent teachers and agriculture graduates.

Fears of loopholes, such as students using these courses as an easier entry route before transferring to other departments.

Questions about why entry requirements are being lowered for critical sectors instead of addressing issues like teacher pay and respect for the profession.

Some view it as treating Education and certain Agriculture courses as lower-priority programmes that do not require the same standards.

Others argue that O’level results and institutional screenings will still apply, and that the goal is to boost enrolment in under-subscribed areas.

What Candidates Should Note 

The exemption removes the UTME requirement for these specific courses only.

It does not apply to Engineering-related Agriculture courses or other programmes.

Official confirmation and full guidelines are expected from JAMB and individual institutions.

Candidates should monitor official JAMB channels and their chosen schools for exact admission processes.

This is the information as announced by JAMB with no additional interpretation.

Source: Official JAMB X post.