.The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board JAMB,said it is considering review of its earlier date set for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination to give room for more intending candidates to register.
Prof Ishaq Oloyede, the registrar of JAMB, disclosed this during a virtual meeting with UTME committee members .
At least 600,000 candidates who have indicated interest to participate in the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, are yet to register for the examination scheduled for June 5 and 19,this year.
Oloyede said so far,1.1 million candidates have registered for the 2021 UTME, but the board anticipates approximately 1.9 million registrations at the end of the exercise.
He noted that though 50 per cent of candidates have already registered without problem, there was need to carry everyone along, adding that after meeting with stakeholders, they will decide on whether to shift the exam forward or not.
“The possibility of shifting the exam forward is still high; but that will be determine after our meeting with stakeholders. This is because about 6000 candidates who have indicated interest in the exam are yet to register. There is need to give everyone the opportunity” he said.
Apologising for the new initiatives introduced in the 2021 UTME, Prof Oloyede explained that it was not to punish candidates but to rather exposed candidates in the habit of indulging in various forms of malpractices.
The examination body explained that candidates are expected to provide two pictures in the exam script. Pictures of the who register for the exam and of persons who register for NIN.
He said:”We apologise for putting you through some hardship in the registration. The government directed that anyone participating in JAMB must have their NIN. This is beyond our control. Those who are yet to register should do so.The Mock examination is bill to come up on Thursday. It is an exam meant to test out capability. As you all know, the main exam is coming up on June 5 and 19 2021.
“We are meeting with stakeholders today to discuss about the issues and on whether we will shift the exam date forward or not. We will brief the media on the out come of the meeting tomorrow.
” Shifting the exam date is not the solution, at the meeting we will discuss on how some of the problems encountered by candidates would be resolved. It is important that we carry everyone along”, he added.
He disclosed that JAMB has secured about 802 exam centres across the country and 104 centres in towns adding that Lagos state alone has 4 centres.
