The Owners of Private Schools Association of Nigeria (OPSAN) has urged the Federal Government to halt the ongoing admission process for the 2026/2027 academic session. This call was made in a statement signed by OPSAN's National President, Prof. Uzochukwu Nwanonyuo, after a stakeholders' meeting. The association expressed concern that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commenced admissions based only on West African Examination Council (WAEC) results, while many other results are still pending.
According to OPSAN, a significant percentage of the 2025/2026 WAEC results are yet to be released in some public, mission, and private secondary schools. Furthermore, the National Examination Council (NECO) and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) have not released their results yet. Despite this, universities have already started and, in some cases, concluded their Post-UTME and admission processes.
OPSAN noted that many students rely solely on NECO and WAEC for admission, while Technical Colleges, Federal Science and Technical Colleges, Vocational, and Commercial schools depend on NECO and NABTEB to secure admission into higher institutions. The association emphasized that continuing admissions without NECO and NABTEB results automatically shuts these students out of the admission process.
The association described the current situation as a national disaster and a misnomer that Nigeria's own national examination bodies are being relegated while preference is given to WAEC, a West African body. OPSAN argued that granting admissions with only WAEC results while sidelining NECO and NABTEB weakens national institutions and sends a wrong signal that they are irrelevant.
OPSAN appealed to the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, to urgently intervene and direct JAMB to put all admission processes on hold. The association also called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to instruct universities across the country to suspend Post-UTME admissions until all O'Level results are released.
Additionally, OPSAN urged WAEC to release a comprehensive list of all candidates who sat for the 2025/2026 internal examinations. The association also called on NECO and NABTEB to expedite action on the release of their results to ensure no child is left behind. By doing so, OPSAN aims to create a level playing field for all students.
The association emphasized that all O'Level results must be released before admissions commence to give every Nigerian child an equal opportunity. OPSAN's stance highlights the need for a more inclusive and equitable admission process that considers the results of all national examination bodies.
Key points
- OPSAN urges the Federal Government to halt ongoing university admissions pending the release of all O'Level results.
- The association argues that granting admissions with only WAEC results weakens national institutions and sidelining NECO and NABTEB.
- OPSAN calls for an intervention from the Minister of Education and the National Universities Commission to ensure a fair and inclusive admission process.
