JAMB considers new commencement date on admission

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said it is considering a new date for the launch of the 2020 admissions process.

This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday, by the JAMB spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin.

The statement said JAMB will be meeting all heads of tertiary institutions on August 10 to discuss the possibility of shifting the commencement of admissions to a date that would better accommodate the ‘vagaries of the COVID-19 Pandemic.’

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

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It said 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.’’

According to the statement, the board will be looking at the possibility of ensuring that 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 and other entrance examination into tertiary institutions.

“The public will recall that owing to the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 Pandemic, candidates who had sat the Board’s UTME under the Awaiting Results stipulation, were unable to take the Senior School Certificate Examinations conducted by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) etc., as scheduled.’’