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  • JAMB stops parents from choosing courses for PWDs

    JAMB stops parents from choosing courses for PWDs

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has stopped parents from choosing courses for their admission-seeking children living with disabilities.

    JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said this during an equal opportunity group conference, with the theme: Towards Increasing Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education in Nigeria, organised by the board yesterday in Abuja.

    Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, declared the conference open.

    Oloyede said the board was ready not only to facilitate access but also ensure equity for admission seekers.

    He said special arrangements had been made for the inclusion of PWDs to acquire tertiary education.

    The JAMB boss, who was reacting to comments by the National President of the National Association of Visually Impaired, Stanley Onyebuchi, said: “The case of the student that wanted to study Law: it was her stepfather that said she could not go as far as Calabar to study Law but asked that she be enrolled in Kaduna State University.

    “This is because the course she showed interest in was not available at the university, but the father asked that she study special education.

    “We have now taken a decision that henceforth, just like with regular admissions, no parent will be allowed to have a say in the admission choice of candidates with disabilities.”

    Onyebuchi said some members of his association faced rejection from tertiary institutions in the areas of their choice courses.

    The national president said when PWDs sought admissions in tertiary institutions, some institutions castigated them that they were not meant to be admitted there.

    Read Also: Why Nigerians should trust APC, by deputy spokesman Meseko

    He added that the economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy had taken a toll on its members as many of them no longer continued their education.

    Onyebuchi said: “I want the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities to take note of our complaint.

    “If it means a sensitisation visit, we don’t mind going round. This is because, for us, the visually impaired persons’ education is key to our success. So, we will not take anything that will hinder us from achieving this.

    “Also, with the increment in the tuition fees, that has discouraged our members from going back to school. I want to suggest that since the government wants our children to be off the streets, there should be free education for all persons with disabilities in all the tertiary institutions.”

    Prof. Mamman said the Federal Government was working hard to ensure that every member of the society had equal access to education.

    The minister said equal opportunity to higher education must begin with inclusivity.

    He advised tertiary institutions and their communities to ensure inclusive access for PWDs.

    Mamman added: “We must work by focusing on an accessible learning environment where a physically appropriate environment is needed and there is an inclusive curriculum for all students.

    “Support services should be readily available in the institutions; faculty and staff training for those who will be sensitive to the need of the diversity must be put into consideration.

    “All information from application processes in the format that will suit the PWDs must also be ensured.”

    The minister promised to continue the delivery of President Bola Tinubu’s mandates by focusing on policies that promote inclusivity and unity.

    Also, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Disability, Dr. Bashiru Daudu, said the House was about kick-starting the awareness of the disability Act 2018.

    Daudu said the committee would start implementation of the Act in January 2024, stressing that this would address the needs of PWDs across the country.

    Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Ahmad Kaita, pledged to explore innovative funding so that all Nigerians have equal opportunity to higher education.

    The Chairman of JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), Prof. Peter Okebukola, assured stakeholders that the group was created to review the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for candidates with special needs.

  • JAMB stops parents from choosing courses for PWD kids

    JAMB stops parents from choosing courses for PWD kids

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has stopped parents from choosing courses for their children living with disabilities who are seeking admission into tertiary institutions.

    Registrar of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede stated this during the Equal Opportunity Group conference organised by JAMB in Abuja on Monday, September 25, with the theme: “Towards Increasing Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education in Nigeria.”

    The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman declared the conference open.

    Oloyede said the board was ready not only to facilitate access but also to ensure equity as special arrangements had been made for the inclusivity of PWDs to acquire tertiary education.

    Oloyede, who was reacting to the comments by the national president of the National Association of Visually Impaired, Stanley Onyebuchi: “The case of the student that wanted to study law, it was her stepfather that said she cannot go as far as Calabar to study law but asked that she be enrolled in Kaduna State University.

    He said: “This is because the course she showed interest in was not available at the university but the father asked that she study special education.

    Read Also: Reps Committee denies indicting JAMB registrar

    “We have now taken a decision that henceforth, just like with regular admissions, no parent will be allowed to have a say in the admission choice of candidates with disabilities.”

    The national president of the national association of visually impaired, Stanley Onyebuchi, said some of their members faced some sort of rejection from tertiary institutions in the areas of their choice courses.

    Onyebuchi said when PWDs sought admission to tertiary institutions, some of the institutions castigated them saying they were not meant to be at the institution.

    He added that the economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy had taken a toll on its members as many of them no longer continued their education.

    He said: “I want the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities to take note of our complaint.

    “If it means a sensitisation visit, we don’t mind going around because for us, the visually impaired persons, education is key to our success, o anything that will hinder us from achieving this we will not take it

    “Also with the increment in the tuition fees, that has discouraged our members from going back to school. I want to suggest that since the government wants our children to be off the streets, there should be free education for all persons with disabilities in all the tertiary institutions.”

    He advocated for a good working environment, noting that PWDs most times lacked some assisting devices that would make them work effectively.

    The Minister of Education, Prof. Mamman said the Federal Government was paying attention to ensure that every member of the society had equal access to education.

    He said equal opportunity to higher education must begin with inclusivity while calling on tertiary institutions and their communities on inclusive access for PWDs.

    The minister said: “We must work by focusing on an accessible learning environment where a physically appropriate environment is needed and an inclusive curriculum for all students.

    “Support services should be readily available in the institutions, faculty and staff training who will be sensitive to the need of the diversity must be put into consideration.

    “All information from application processes in the format that will suit the PWDs must also be ensured.”

    The ministry promised to continue in the delivery of President Bola Tinubu’s mandates by focusing on policies that promoted inclusivity and unity.

    Also, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Disability, Bashiru Daudu said the House was about kick-starting the awareness of the Disability Act 2018.

    Daudu said the committee would start implementation of the act in January 2024 saying this would address the needs of PWDs in the country.

    Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Sen. Ahmad Kaita, pledged to explore innovative funding to ensure all Nigerians have equal opportunity to higher education.

    The Chairman of Jamb Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG), Prof. Peter Okebukola said the group was created with a view to reviewing the conduct of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination for candidates with special needs.

    Okebukola noted that the event would offer a sustainable solution to the programme so that more PWDs could be included to address their educational needs, especially at the tertiary level.

    The event also featured the unveiling of the Strategic Roadmap for Inclusive Access to Quality Higher Education in Nigeria 2024-2028.

  • JAMB forgery: Why I adopted embattled Mmesoma – Anambra commissioner

    JAMB forgery: Why I adopted embattled Mmesoma – Anambra commissioner

    Anambra state commissioner for education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh has adopted Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme, an embattled student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, who allegedly tampered with her 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result to emerge with the highest score.

    The commissioner, who spoke in Awka, while receiving an award in her office, said she adopted Mmesoma to assist her in actualizing her life’s dreams.

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had slammed a 3-year ban on Mmesoma after revealing she manipulated her UTME score from 249 to 362 and falsely parading herself as UTME’s highest scorer for 2023.

    Recall that the commissioner had invited Mmesoma to her office in the heat of the controversy and subsequently handed her over to the men of the Directorate of State Security (DSS), who questioned her over the incident.

    But while receiving an award in her office, Chuma-Odeh explained that she adopted Mmesoma to see her through school.

    Read Also: Mmesoma: Reps panel hails JAMB for fighting malpractices

    She pleaded with JAMB to reconsider its decision concerning her.

    She said: “Mmesoma is not the first person I am adopting. Even as a lecturer, I was adopting children and training them through schools.

    “Mmesoma is doing very well and she is still undergoing a psychotherapy class with the state-appointed psychotherapist.

    “I decided to adopt her to help her actualize her dreams. She is a human being, so we cannot throw her away just like that.

    “We are not going to let her down. We are still pleading with JAMB to reconsider its decision concerning her.

    “Governor Chukwuma Soludo is very passionate about every citizen in Anambra State and so, we will train her through her education.”

  • No NIN, no UTME in 2020, JAMB tells candidates

    THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has advised candidates wishing to write the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to register with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to enable them obtain the National Identification Number (NIN).

    The board said the NIN would be compulsory for UTME registration next year.

    It insisted that only candidates with NIN would be allowed to sit for the examination next year.

    JAMB said it would no longer capture the biometrics of candidates as information required by the board would be uploaded from the data captured by the NIMC for registration.

    Its Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, explained the board’s position on NIN in an interview on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Read Also: JAMB to prosecute exam cheats, impersonators

    Benjamin said the NIN would guard against all forms of registration infractions.

    He said: “Henceforth, the National Identification Number  (NIN) would be compulsory for the UTME registration.

    “All candidates desiring to register for the 2020 UTME, other JAMB processes, are urged to visit the nearest NIMC centre or its licensed agents for the NIN registration ahead of the UTME registration, if they have not done so.”

    Dr. Benjamin stressed that candidates would be required to present their NIN at the point of registration.

    He said the board has made arrangements with NIMC for candidates who do not have the NIN to be registered at the centre by NIMC or its licensed agents.

    The JAMB spokesperson advised candidates who had registered and acquired the NIN before attaining the age of 16 to update their NIN registration status before proceeding for the UTME registration.

    “If a candidate has NIN but has misplaced the number, he/she can retrieve the NIN by either going to any NIMC office/its licensed agents or dialling *346# (USSD Code) on the SIM number earlier used to register for the NIN and the NIN would be sent to the candidate.

    “If he/she does not have the SIM number used for the NIN registration, such a candidate should visit the nearest NIMC centre or any of its licensed agents.

    “Candidate’s name, as arranged on the NIMC data base, would be same on JAMB data after registration.

    “If any candidate has complaints of name arrangement such a candidate should first rectify such issue with NIMC before proceeding for registration,” he added.

     

  • JAMB UTME: Lagos inmate scores 246, set for NOUN

    The Principal, Ikoyi Prisons School, Ibikunle Idris, has described the performance of inmates who participated in the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), as encouraging and signs of better things to come.

    Idris, an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) cited one of the inmates who scored 246 points.

    Twenty-five inmates registered for the JAMB examination, he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday  in Lagos.

    Idris said the least score by the inmates was 175.

    Seven of the inmates were released before the April 11 examination, with six returning to the facility to write the exam.

    The principal said the facility had commenced processing of placements for 12 of the successful inmates into the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) at the facility, to pursue their studies in various fields.

    ”This is a sign of good things to come as far as education behind bars in this country is concerned and we are all very excited at this development.

    ”This year’s performance is better than that of 2018 and this can be attributed to the support and vision of the Comptroller  General of Prisons (CGP), Ja’afar Ahmed,” he said.

  • JAMB to prosecute exam cheats, impersonators

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Sunday said it had received requests for change of names, dates of birth and others since it announced that it would probe the results of Nigerians and shame those who cheated the system in the last 10 years.

    The board said some of the complaints it had received were from prominent persons in the society over request to either change their states of origin, local government areas, dates of birth, gender or email addresses and subject combination of candidates.

    JAMB’s Head of Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, stated this in a bulletin issued yesterday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    The spokesman said the board decided to crosscheck and revalidate the biometrics of past candidates owing to the number of complaints it had received.

    He said the board believed that the complaints were means through which some candidates cheated the board and the system in the past.

    According to him, the board has vowed to publish the names of the imposters to serve as deterrent to others as well as stem the antics of professional examination takers.

    Read Also: There is a sponsored campaign against JAMB – Oloyede

    “This step was taken as a result of the huge applications received by the board aimed at perfecting fraudulent acts that had aided impersonation in the first instance.

    “It is to be noted that the board has in recent times been inundated with series of complaints bordering on change of name, state of origin, local government, gender, date of birth, phone number, email address and subject combination of candidates.

    “The board, in the course of its attempts to block all forms of examination malpractices, discovered that one of the ways candidates employ for impersonation is to engage professional examination takers, who register and use the candidates’ names and afterwards apply for correction of such details along the lines listed above.

    “To address this, the board has resolved to revalidate all biometrics of candidates that have taken the board’s examinations, fish out these impersonators and prosecute them along with their sponsors,” he said.

    Benjamin also said the board discovered “series of pathetic situations that some elite schools put their candidates through”.

    The spokesman noted that such schools engage in group registration in order to make money, adding that this act distorts the data of such candidates.

    “The public should be mindful of elite schools which exploit parents by collecting huge sums of money to register their students in groups, more often at unauthorised centres,” he said.

  • JAMB and new varsities

    In 2009, a Moroccan education economist, Dr. Jamil Samli listed what constitutes a “World Class University” in a publication for the World Bank: “The challenges of Establishing World Class Universities.” According to Samli, a former coordinator of the Bank’s tertiary education program, a world-class university has three distinguishing outcomes: first, highly sought graduates; second, leading-edge research; and third, dynamic knowledge and technology transfer. Samli attributed these outcomes to three complementary sets of factors at play in these universities.

    The first factor is a high concentration of talent, consisting of faculty, students, researchers and internationalization. The second factor requires favorable governance features that encourage leadership, strategic vision, innovation, and flexibility and that enable institutions to make decisions and manage resources without being encumbered by bureaucracy.

    The third factor consists of abundant resources to offer a rich learning environment and to conduct advanced research. It is therefore the dynamic interaction among these three factors that defines world-class universities.

    As an advocate of a solid university system in Nigeria, I’ll be addressing an important issue raised recently by the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Prof. Is-haq Oloyede. While delivering the 4th convocation lecture of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, Prof. Oloyede called for an embargo to be placed on the creation of new public and private universities in the country. He said there was the need to place the embargo so that the country’s existing institutions could be adequately catered for.

    “A situation where universities are only established to massage the ego of rich individuals and politicians is not healthy for educational development of the country as tertiary education is too crucial to be reduced to a commercial outfit for an ego-tripping venture…since education is everybody’s business, all Nigerians should support the effort towards educational development,” he said. Oloyede, who took a critical look at the recommendations of the 2017 Presidential Retreat on Education which recommended a declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector, advocated increased funding of education in the country by committing nothing less than 15% of the national budget to the sector.

    I agree with Prof Oloyede’s caution about the dangers of reducing varsities to “commercial outfit for an ego-tripping venture.” Government need to pull the breaks, take an honest look at existing varsities and see how they can be revamped rather than establishing more. If we want to be honest, some of the varsities established recently fall within this category. I have visited some of them and they fall within what a writer described as “glorified secondary schools.”

    I belong to the school of thought that believes very much in the relentless pursuit of world class ambitions, goals and purposes. This is because the pursuit of globally recognized excellence in any endeavour is absolutely necessary to guarantee the attainment of feats and heights that are uncommon, from a global standpoint, and which deserve to be proudly celebrated on the world stage. I believe also that with the right sets of people and policies some of our varsities have potentials of being world class.

    Read Also: JAMB’s 2019 Policy Meeting

    It is no longer unusual or implausible for a citizen of any country outside the UK, for instance, to choose a world class and well renowned institution like Cambridge University, over and above every other University in his home country, for his tertiary education. Indeed, if the challenge of meeting the admission criteria does not constitute an insurmountable barrier, it will be unlikely for this student, to jettison the opportunity to go to Cambridge in favour of a local and less highly regarded university alternative.

    The situation will be the same for universities in any country, where available universities therein are not seen to be capable of offering the “world class” benefits/values that are widely associated with highly regarded tertiary institutions. If this tendency is not challenged, the result will be that these not – highly – regarded Universities anywhere in the world would not be able to attract the top echelon of very good students, faculty, and/or research grants, either from within the local environment or anywhere else in the world. It is not difficult to predict the ‘future’ that awaits such institutions.

    I am of the view that with good management, a university in Nigeria can still aspire to be in the league of ‘world class’ institutions despite the current challenges faced by most of them. All it requires is ‘out-of-the-box thinking.” This comes by being innovative in bridging the funding and other gaps – for public varsities. In doing this, strategic brand management has a critical role to play – from faculty, grants, students, environment, positioning etc. If properly understood and implemented, it has the potentials of firmly establishing clear preference for the university in the minds of a sufficiently large number of topflight faculty and students from different parts of the world within a set time-frame.

    However, the varsity must be essentially driven by the need to gain recognition, first as an aspiring “world class” institution, and, ultimately, as a “proud member of this elite group” within a realistic time-frame. The mandatory steps in the process of adoption and application of the strategic management principles inherent in this approach include professional understanding of the meaning and significance of the “Brand,” both as a concept and a strategic tool for business growth.

    A clear understanding of the process of leveraging the “Brand” for a full establishment of its customer connection potential is a fundamental prerequisite. Also important is the acquisition of strong insights into the drivers of choice amongst topflight students, world class faculty members, donor agencies and discerning and top rated employers of university graduates.

    Systematic application of insights for the injection of appropriate and superior benefits values into the university Brand Essence, and for the subsequent development of a winning value proposition for the university should also be desired. Strategic leveraging of the value proposition for consistency with the evocations of the “Brand Pillars” and systematic “Brand Building Structures and Action” will further drive the aspiring varsity toward world standard.

    Another key essential is the “Product” or “Physical Manifestation Pillar:” This refers to both the “intrinsic” and “extrinsic” values of the physical manifestation of the Brand. It speaks to the “Functional Benefits” of the Brand (i.e. the potential to give the target customer a veritable reward for the adoption of the offering). In particular, emphasis should be focused on unique facilities and environmental features that set the brand apart, first as one of the best amongst its peers, and as a potential world class institution. As a rule, these reward elements or components must be visible and, must come across as tangible benefits.

    Next is “The Personality or Social Standing Pillar:” This is an expression of what the institution would look like if it were a person or a physical entity. This usually comes in various descriptions as follows: masculine/feminine; elegant/ordinary; smart/reticent; handsome-beautiful/ugly; accessible/clumsy; international/local; world class/ordinary, etc.

    Each one of these associations comes with perceptions that can shape the opinion of target customers concerning the suitability or otherwise of the institution for their purposes. It is therefore important to ensure that knowledge of customer insights on drivers of choice are excellently leveraged to guarantee the projection of the right image/personality for the institution.

    “The Symbols and Symbolism Pillar” is also part of the mix. It is the combinations of design elements, logos and colors that have been adopted for the brand. By definition, these must be very pleasing to eyes and mind, and must also convey the images of international quality, class and style for the institution.

    The uniqueness and attractiveness must be so striking and unique to the extent that the brand will readily come to mind, even if the symbols are made to feature as “stand alone” images. It is absolutely essential that the process of evolving the character and value associations for each of the brand pillars must end up with a consistent message that will define the brand as envisioned. In other words, if the adopted “Heritage” values are presenting the brand as “international,” the defined value associations with the physical manifestation pillar should not be evocative of anything else but international values.

  • JAMB’s 2019 Policy Meeting

    “You can never change things in a society by fighting the existing reality.
    To change something, you can only build a new model that can render the old one obsolete’’. Anonymous

    It was a unique gathering of who is who intellectual in Gbongan, Osun State, last Tuesday, June 11, 2019. The venue was Bola Babalakin (Executive) Auditorium. And the purpose was for distinguished stakeholders in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to put heads together and jointly determine the Cut-off Pass Mark for 2019/2020 admission into Nigerian tertiary institutions as a matter of policy. The one day session which brought hundreds of Vice-Chancellors, Proprietors, Rectors, Provosts and relevant Professionals of various fields of discipline together was coordinated by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

     

    Cut-off Marks

    After serious deliberations by those stakeholders, the following conclusions were unanimously reached and approved:

    1. That the Cut-off Mark for candidates who wrote this year’s JAMB examination and are seeking admission into Nigerian public Universities, the Cut-off Mark is 160.
    2. For candidates seeking admission in 2019/2020 into private Universities, the Cut-off Mark is 140.
    3. For candidates who are seeking admission into public Polytechnics, in 2019/2020, the Cut-off Mark is 120.
    4. For candidates seeking admission into private Polytechnics in 2019/2020, the Cut-off Mark is 110.
    5. For candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education, the Cut-off Mark is 100.

     

    Possible Cut-off Marks Increase

    However, as jointly agreed, any tertiary institution may raise its Cut-off Mark above the agreed figures. But none should lower the Cut-off Mark below the approved figures. This means the Cut-off marks of some public Universities may rise up to 180 or even 200 depending on the arising situation.

     

    Limit of Admission Time

    It was also agreed that admission processes into public tertiary institutions should be concluded by December 19, 2019 while that of the private institutions should end by February 15, 2020. These decisions were taken not by JAMB but by consensus of stakeholders including the representatives of all institutions.

     

    Between Literacy and Education

    After the meeting, some participants who read an article entitled ‘JAMB’s New Policy’ written by yours sincerely and published in ‘The Message’ column last year, requested me to republish the article to serve as a further enlightenment for members of the public. And since readers, like customers, in a market, are kings and queens in their own rights, who must be venerated, I decided to publish an excerpt from the article. Here it goes: “If most literate Nigerian city dwellers called elite hear or read about JAMB’s new policy, the tendency is for them to react, if tacitly, with the usual Nigerian    reprobate as follows: This JAMB again! Why   is it toying with different ideas from time to time?

    Despite the claim of education-based civilization by those elite, it has virtually become a permanent tradition for them to seek progress without wanting to pass through a process of change. Yet, nothing guarantees progress as much as change through the rule of law”.

     

     Rule of Law

    “Rule of law in any sane society is not a mere expression of wishes. It is rather the real basis of guaranteeing enduring serenity. A society or organization without rule of law is like an episode in George Orwell’s allegorical plot in his famous novella entitled ‘Animal Farm’ in which all animals are said to be equal in theory but some are practically seen to be more equal than others.

    JAMB is not an ‘Animal Farm’ that can be given conflicting interpretations according to conflicting perceptions. But when writing about unique Board, making an allusion to George Orwell’s book may serve a light-throwing reference”.

     

    Innovation

    “Like any trustable and sustainable Board or Organization that genuinely serves the people, JAMB is not resting on its oars in ensuring firmness of the rule of law for furtherance of serenity in the country.

    That is why it (JAMB) created a broad-based  ‘Critical Stakeholders Forum’ in 2017, as a way of carrying along well-meaning concerned members of the public with their various specialized expertise, thereby making the Board a truly service-oriented public institution for the country’s development”.

     

    Critical Stakeholders Forum

    “Since its establishment in 2017, JAMB’s ‘Critical Stakeholders Forum’ has tremendously assisted the management of that Board in engendering a positive departure from the hitherto public perception in which the institution was negatively shrouded. The inputs of the ‘Critical Stakeholders Forum’ into the policies of JAMB have come to confirm significantly that it is quite possible to run an institution like JAMB democratically, even in a country like Nigeria, despite all overt and covert odds. Thus, today, the formulation of policies in JAMB is no longer an exclusive burden for which the Registrar or Management staff of that institution can be taken to ransom. Most of those policies are now jointly formulated at an open door annual meeting of virtually all professionals whose diverse expertise are effectively tapped for the advancement of JAMB and the progress of Nigeria. This dynamic action initiated by the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, in less than six months after his assumption of office has not just facilitated a thorough understanding of JAMB operations by Nigerian public; it has also become a quiet but constructive revolution that can be globally emulated and possibly equaled but not surpassed”.

     

    Biometric Verification

    “One of JAMB’s recent policies that were formulated for effective execution during the 2019 UTME is mandatory biometric verification which all candidates for year 2018 examination were made to pass through for the first time ever.

    Thus, the candidates for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and those of the future are now aware that biometric verification is compulsory for them and without it, there will be no admittance into the examination hall”.

     

    No Alternative

    “The JAMB’s Biometric Verification policy which has no alternative is an official scrutiny of any candidate’s claim of an identity.  It is an authentication formality with which every candidate will be admitted into the examination hall. Any candidate without certified biometric verification will not be allowed to write the examination.

    And no candidate without biometric verification should expect a reschedule of his/her missed examination for any reason. This policy, being emphatically presented here, is already contained in Vol. 1, N0 11 of the official weekly bulletin of JAMB which can be found in JAMB’s website and has equally been disseminated to Nigerian media for publication or broadcasting. Thus, parents of UTME candidates who consider it their duty to follow their teenage children or wards to examination centers, despite those children’s age and exposure, should note this policy very well and be prepared to abide by it scrupulously in the future. The summary is that no biometric verification, no examination. JAMB officials too should note that any candidate who cannot be verified should not be kept waiting to loiter around the examination hall. Such a candidate should immediately be advised to get in touch with JAMB office through the already known means”.

     

    Handicapped Candidates

    “As for handicapped candidates, JAMB has made adequate provision for them through the use of certain devices with which they are quite familiar. They are therefore advised to follow the instructions given to them by JAMB officials and simply abide by the rule of law in order not to regret anything after the exam”.

     

    Attendance Register

    “All candidates should know as well that there is no attendance registration other than biometric verification. Any available photo album found at an examination center will have no space for marking ‘present or absent’. And all examination officials including security agents are strictly advised in their own interest to comply with these guidelines”.

     

    Prohibited Materials

    “Besides the introduction of biometric verification which is now compulsory for all candidates with no exception, JAMB has listed some materials that are prohibited in its Computer Based Test Centers (CBTC). Such prohibited materials include: books, mobile phones, ink pens and biros, pencils and erasers, wrist watches and jewelries as well as calculators, miniature electronic devices, smart eye lenses, ear pieces, blue tooth devices, bitsy microphones, teeny secret recorders and similar cheating devices. In the case of spy reading glasses which some candidates cannot do without, such must be surrendered to JAMB officials for scrutiny”.

     

    Timeliness

    “All UTME candidates are strictly advised to arrive at their examination centers well ahead of the time earmarked for the commencement of examination. Lateness of any candidate to the examination center may constitute a hindrance for his/her participation in the examination”.

     

    Effect of Change

    “The changes that had caused human progress from time to time in history were never compatible with the existing perennial traditions of those humans because of the revolutionary tendencies of those changes. Whether in the primordial or contemporary time, revolution has effectively proved to be the main determinant of human progress. Therefore, a society without revolution,  will surely be stagnant”.

     

    History of JAMB

    “When the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was established 42 years ago (1977), it came as a revolution which the then existing system of seeking admission into tertiary institutions through concessional examination first tried to resist. At that time, only about six full- fledged Universities were in existence in Nigeria. They were called ‘First Generation’ Universities. The six Universities were the bUniversity of Nigeria, Nsuka, founded in 1960; the University of Lagos, founded in 1962; Ahmadu Bello University founded in 1962; the University of Ife, founded in 1962; the University of Ibadan, upgraded to a full-fledged University in 1963 and the University of Benin, founded in 1970.

    Until its upgrade into a full-fledged University in 1963, the University of Ibadan which was established in 1948 as a college of the University of London was the only Higher Institution in Nigeria foreign University”.

     

    Comment

    “At no time in the history of JAMB have stakeholders been involved in the process of UTME as now facilitated by the current administration in that Board. This is an indication that the real revolutionary motive of JAMB is becoming more manifest than ever before. JAMB is not only a pace setter for revolution in all sectors of public service in Nigeria, it is also the main template for distinction between education and literacy”.

  • JAMB announces 160 as UTME cut-off mark for Fed varsities

    STAKEHOLDERS in Federal universities across the country yesterday announced 160 as the minimum benchmark for admission of candidates for the 2019/2020 academic year.

    The decision was reached in Gbongan, Osun State, during the board’s joint 19th policy meeting on admissions to tertiary institutions.

    The stakeholders also unanimously agreed to carry out admission registration procedures for institutions of first choice of candidates in all public universities from August 21 to November 16.

    They agreed that all state and private universities would peg minimum admission benchmark at 140 and above.

    The admission registration process for candidates’ institutions of second choice will take place from November 17 to December 17, according to them.

    They said the minimum UTME score of candidates for public polytechnics should be 120 and above while that of their private counterparts was pegged at 110 and above.

    The minimum cut-off mark for the colleges of education was also agreed on 110 and above.

    READ ALSO: JAMB releases more 15,490 UTME results

    The stakeholders agreed to extend admission registration procedure for private universities to February 15, 2020.

    Addressing the stakeholders at the meeting, JAMB Registrar Prof Is-haq Oloyede said: “The admission process would be guided by the approved institutional/programmes cut-off marks and minimum UTME score, as submitted by the respective institutions.

    “The minimum UTME score for admission will be as prescribed by each institution subject to the respective National Minimum UTME score.”

    According to him, admission for the 2019/2020 academic session will be conducted on the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS).

  • JAMB: over 1.3m candidates have accessed results

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says over 1.3 million candidates have  accessed their results using the result checker (code), 55019, the board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, told reporters yesterday in Lagos.

    More than 1.8 million candidates registered for the examination.

    Benjamin was speaking against the backdrop of claims in some quarters that majority of candidates who wrote the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), were yet to access their results through the said code.

    He also described as untrue, claims by some mischief makers that the N50 charges incurred through the code was going to the board’s purse.

    The JAMB spokesman said: “I want to refute all these claims as there is no truth in them. First and foremost, by our records, over 1.3 candidates who sat for this examination have accessed their results using the code for checking the results, which remains ‘55019’.

    Read also: 2019 UTME overall best gets scholarship

    ”Again, let me also state in clear terms that the N50 charged in the process of checking these results does not go to JAMB’s purse but to the various service providers.”

    According to the spokesman, the clarification became necessary in view of what he described as “wicked and malicious rumours” by some persons that the board is charging a fee for checking of results.

    Giving a breakdown of the total number of results checked by candidates through the various network providers, Benjamin noted that MTN had the highest, with a total of 888,598, followed by Glo, with a total of 190,923.

    He said that coming third was Airtel, with a total of 104, 970 candidates who have so far accessed their result using the network.

    Benjamin said before now, Airtel had some technical hitches, but thankfully, all such challenges had been addressed.

    He noted that 62,170 candidates had also accessed their results using the 9mobile service provider.

    The spokesman said that the board appreciated the concern of those candidates who had challenges accessing their results, and expressed the board’s sincere apologies to the development.

    He noted that the board was partnering with the network providers in ensuring quality service in an attempt to forestall such occurrences in its subsequent examinations.

    Benjamin said that plans were already in place to forward the results to candidates’ profiles for viewing and printing.

    The results for the 2019 UTME were released on May 11.