THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has withheld the results of some persons who were not inmates but sat for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTMEC) at the Kaduna Correctional Centre.
Ishaq Oloyede, the JAMB Registrar made this known on Monday during a consultative virtual meeting with vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts of tertiary education institutions.
Oloyede said the Board withheld the results of the candidates over suspected infractions at the Correctional Centre but did not specify the exact number of results being withheld over the infraction.
“There are candidates who took exams in the prison yard that we know are not prisoners, so we wrote to the correctional centres to explain how that happens because we didn’t want non-prisoners to take advantage of the concessions we give to inmates,” the JAMB Registrar said.
Fabian Benjamin, the JAMB Spokesperson, told The ICIR that about 200 persons sat for the examination in Kaduna Correctional Facility.
Benjamin explained that the results had to be withheld when JAMB noticed that the non-inmates wrote the exam and would benefit from the window of opportunity available to inmates only.
“We withheld it because we didn’t want them to benefit from it, special considerations are given to the inmates to demonstrate the correctional part of the Nigeria Correctional Service,” Benjamin added.
Meanwhile, the Board noted that post-UTME screening for the 2020 admission processes would now begin not earlier than September 7 in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in the country.
The Board 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).
“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 make the decision. Presently as you are aware, WAEC starts the Senior School Certificate Examination on 17 August, it will go on till 7th of September,” Oloyede explained during the virtual meeting.
“Similarly, on the 21 of September or thereabout, NABTEB will commence its own examination that will go on till on the 15 of October, and immediately after that, NECO starts on the 5th and will hold till 18 of November.
“Rather than making candidates run, particularly, when they will have to write their school certificate exam in different towns and rush to university elsewhere for post-UTME, like somebody rushing from Sokoto to Ibadan t for post-UTME, we believe as a custodian of the highest sector of the education system, we should avoid that.”
He stated that institutions whose post-UTME screening is 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- 7 September to 4 October, and then it will be held for the second time on the 18 November to mop up those who are taking their school certificate examination.”
Oloyede, who commended the various submissions of heads of tertiary institutions during the meeting, said institutions that conduct admissions without the administration of any-post UTME screening should also ensure candidates whose SSCE results would be released towards the end of the year were not denied participation in the admission exercise.
Be the first to comment