JAMB Considers Postponement of UTME, as 600,000 are Yet to Register

By Kuni Tyessi

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is considering postponing the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) scheduled to hold between June 5 and 19 as over 600,000 candidates have made unsuccessful attempts to register for the exercise.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who disclosed this during a virtual meeting with UTME committees and stakeholders on Friday, said so far, 1.1 million candidates have registered for the 2021 UTME.

The JAMB boss stated that the board anticipates approximately 1.9 million registrations at the end of the exercise.

He said even though 50 per cent of the candidates have already registered without problem, there was need to carry everyone along, adding that after meeting with stakeholders on Saturday, the board 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 determined after our meeting with stakeholders. This is because about 6,000 candidates who have indicated interest in the exam are yet to register. There is need to give everyone the opportunity,” he said.

While apologising for the new initiatives introduced in the 2021 UTME, Oloyede explained that it was not to punish candidates but to rather expose candidates in the habit of indulging in various forms of malpractices.

The examination body, which is responsible for the conduct of the entrance examination into the nation’s tertiary institutions, explained that candidates are expected to provide two pictures in the exam script — pictures of who is registering for the exam and of persons registering for the NIN.

While calling on candidates to take note of the process, he added that the essence was to detect any disparity in the process.

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 exam is billed 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 outcome of the meeting tomorrow.

“Shifting the exam date is not the solution. At the meeting, we will discuss how some of the problems encountered by candidates would be resolved. It is important that we carry everyone along,” he added.

He further disclosed that JAMB has secured about 802 exam centres across the country and 104 centres in towns, adding that Lagos State alone has four centres.