JAMB, varsities meet over new 2020 admission date

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is set for a crucial meeting with all tertiary institutions to fix a new date for the commencement of the 2020 admission process.

JAMB had earlier fixed August 21 for the commencement of admissions into varsities across the country.

But in its weekly bulletin released on Sunday, Fabian Benjamin, the board’s head of media, said the meeting was essential to give candidates who took this year’s UTME equal opportunity in the admission process.

The meeting is billed to hold on August 10.

“As a responsive organisation whose mantra is equity and fairness, the Board desires that every aspiring candidate who had taken its UTME be given equal opportunity to compete with his/her peers for the available openings,” he said.

“This is the reason for its call for another meeting with all the institutions with a view to amending the earlier and mutually-agreed date for the conduct of Post-UTME screening and other processes.

“As intellectuals, it is incumbent on the Board and the various tertiary institutions to always provide practical solutions to perceived challenges for the smooth running of the sector without being prompted by the government. Such solutions, when arrived at, would then be forwarded to the relevant Ministries or Agencies for further inputs and necessary approvals.

“It is in view of this that the Board is working to pre-empt any unpalatable situation that may arise if institutions conduct their admissions without accommodating the vast number of candidates that are about to take their O’level examinations.

“Consequently, the Board would, at the meeting, be looking at the possibility of ensuring that the various institutions either delay or prolong their screening exercises to accommodate candidates who will be taking the 2020 O’ level examinations to be conducted by WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, etc.”