JAMB offers technical support to Sierra Leone on centralised admissions reform
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has pledged technical assistance to the Government of Sierra Leone as the country moves to introduce a Centralised Admissions System (CAS) aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and accountability in tertiary education admissions.
The commitment was disclosed in a statement by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin, following a high-level stakeholder engagement organised by Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE) in Freetown.
The engagement forms part of ongoing reforms by the Sierra Leonean government to establish a unified digital admissions platform covering universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.
The initiative followed a visit by a Sierra Leonean delegation led by Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara, to Nigeria, where officials observed JAMB’s centralised admissions operations during its Annual Policy Meeting.
That visit led to approval for a Nigerian technical mission to support Sierra Leone’s planned reforms.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Dr Haja Ramatulai Wurie, said the proposed Centralised Admissions System has already received Cabinet approval and is backed by the Universities Act of 2021.
She said the reform would address inefficiencies in the current decentralised admissions structure and improve coordination among tertiary institutions.
Wurie added that the initiative is being implemented with support from key agencies, including the Tertiary Education Commission, the West African Examinations Council, the National Civil Registration Authority, and the National Telecommunications Authority.
She also expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, for supporting the project.
Deputy Minister Sarjoh Aziz-Kamara described the reform as a major step toward ensuring fairness, accountability and efficiency in the admissions process.
He confirmed that Cabinet had approved the creation of a Centralised Admissions Secretariat within the ministry to manage the new digital system.
A key highlight of the engagement was JAMB’s presentation of a framework for a national digital admissions architecture designed to improve transparency, strengthen data integrity, eliminate duplication and enhance educational planning.
JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, commended Sierra Leone’s inclusive approach to the reform and noted that Nigeria introduced its own centralised admissions system in 1978 to address similar challenges.
Oloyede assured stakeholders of continued technical support, stressing that the goal is not to replicate Nigeria’s system exactly, but to help Sierra Leone develop a model suited to its own educational context while leveraging Nigeria’s experience.
The collaboration is expected to deepen educational ties between both countries and promote improved access to higher education through digital innovation and institutional cooperation.
