JAMB directs varsities, polytechnics to begin post-UTME test Sept 7

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has shifted the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) screening for the 2020 admission processes into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education till September 7.

Ishaq Oloyede, the board registrar, announced the new date after a consultative virtual meeting with vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts of tertiary institutions.

He said the shift in the date of the admission process from the earlier announced August 21, was to accommodate candidates who would be taking part in this year’s school-based Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

According to him, “the view of JAMB is that while we go on consulting at a point when it becomes necessary for the decision, we should all come together and take decisions.

“Presently as you are aware, WAEC starts the Senior School Certificate Examination on Aug. 17, it will go on till Sept. 7.

“Similarly, on Sept. 2 or thereabout, NABTEB will commence its own examination that will go on till Oct. 15, and immediately after that, NECO starts from the 5th to Nov.18.

“Rather than making candidates run, particularly, when they will have to write their school certificate exam in different towns and rush to universities elsewhere for post-UTME, like somebody rushing from Sokoto to Ibadan for post-UTME, we believe as a custodian of the highest sector of the education system, we should avoid that.”

The JAMB boss said institutions whose post-UTME screening was mandatory for candidates would have to spread such exercise in two phases.

“For those institutions who want to take post-UTME, that cannot be earlier than the 7th of September and it will be held twice – from 7th September to 4th of October, and then it will be held for the second time on the 18th of November to mop up those who are taking their school certificate examination,” he said.

Oloyede, who commended the various submissions of heads of tertiary institutions during the meeting, said institutions that conducted admissions without the administration of any-post UTME screening, should also ensure candidates whose SSCE results would be released toward the end of the year were not denied participation in the admission exercise.

He said that the board had withheld results of candidates that sat for the 2020 UTME at correctional service centres (prisons) over suspected infractions.

“There are candidates who took exams in the correctional centres  that we know are not prisoners, so we wrote to the correctional centres to explain how that happens, because we did not want non-prisoners to take advantage of the concessions we give to inmates,” Oloyede said.

The virtual meeting attracted 488 participants from across all states in the country.

It was attended by Aliyu Muhammed, JAMB’s director of administration; Muktar Bello, director of finance; Fabian Okoro, director of information communication technology; and Fabian Benjamin, director of information, among others.