The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said that it was considering a new date for the commencement of 2020 admission exercise due to recent changes in academic calendar for secondary students, particularly those in exiting classes.
JAMB said it had earlier announced August 22nd as the date for commencement of 2020 admission exercise, but will meet with stakeholders on Monday to brainstorm on the possibility of new date that would better accommodate the vagaries of the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAMB spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement released in Abuja, on Sunday, said that “as a responsive organisation whose mantra is equity and fairness, the Board desires that every aspiring candidate who had taken its 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) be given equal opportunity to compete with peers for the available openings.
“This is the reason 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 JAMB 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’s 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.”
Fabian disclosed that, 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.
