Senate Summons JAMB Boss Over Lopsided Admission Policy, To Review Power of JAMB on Admission

Posted by African Examiner education, Featured, Latest Headlines, News Tuesday, November 17th, 2015

Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB) Professor Dibu Ojerinde has been summoned by the Senate to explain the difficulties surrounding admissions into the nation’s universities.

This was even as it mandated its committee on Education to review the power of JAMB on issues revolving around admission.

The Senate, sequel to a motion moved by Senator Joshua Lidani ( PDP) Gombe South on JAMB’s New Admission Policy, also urges it to extend the validity of candidates’ admissions into tertiary institutions from 12 months to 36 months to ease the pressure faced by parents who cannot easily raise funds to send their children to schools.

It also asked its committee on education to investigate circumstances surrounding a new JAMB policy including allegations of favouritism.

While moving the motion on the frustrations being witnessed by JAMB candidates in their search for admissions into tertiary institutions, Senator Lidani expressed concerns over a recent policy of the institution which empowers JAMB to reassign applicants for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in universities with excessive number of candidates to universities with lower number of applicants.

He listed benefits of the policy to include enabling universities with lower number of applicants to have enough candidates for admission and simultaneously providing applicants with better chances of securing admissions.

However, Lidani expressed concerns about this policy, saying since the announcement of the policy, JAMB has been facing a series of protests from parents, candidates and organisations such as Association of Tutorial School Operators of Nigeria who have rejected the policy.