Despite a unanimous motion from the House of Representatives directing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to extend the registration deadline for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the board has not responded to or implemented the directive as of now.
The upcoming 2024 UTME, slated for Thursday, March 7, 2024, is expected to assess a minimum of 260,249 candidates nationwide. The directive to reopen the registration portal for an additional two weeks came from the lower legislative chamber of the National Assembly last week. This decision followed a motion of urgent public importance put forth by Hassan Shinkafi (PDP, Zamfara) during the day’s plenary.
The UTME, a mandatory Computer-Based Test (CBT), is required for all individuals aspiring to gain admission to Nigerian public and private tertiary institutions.
It’s worth noting that the registration portal was accessible from January 15 to February 26, attracting a total of 1,975,926 registered candidates.
In his motion, Hon. Shinkafi voiced apprehension over candidates facing economic hardships preventing them from registering for the examination. He emphasized that the failure to reopen the registration portal might result in the exclusion of numerous candidates.
The lawmaker argued that the House is aware of “the painful economic situation prevailing in the country, adding that “as a result, many families have been constrained from registering their wards by this timeline.”
Mr Shinkafi said “without an extension of the registration, many candidates will not be able to register and participate in the exercise, and that means there will not be a wider coverage and participation in this year’s UTME Examination in Nigeria.”
“Two weeks’ extension will encourage the parents of these candidates to register their children. Importantly, this will reassure the public of the confidence in this current administration in Nigeria,” he added.
Upon being put to vote by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, the motion was unanimously adopted without any debate. As a result, the House directed the Committees on Education and Legislative Compliance to ensure adherence to the resolution.
Despite the House’s stance, JAMB has not taken any action in response to the directive from the House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the board has notified candidates of its readiness to conduct a mock exam on March 7 for UTME candidates.
The board, which disclosed this in its weekly news bulletin, released Monday, said: “To this end, all candidates, who had registered for the 2024 optional mock-UTME are to print their notification slips with a view to identifying their centres, venue, and time of the examination, among other details.”
JAMB highlighted that the introduction of the mock UTME in 2017 aimed to provide a platform for testing innovations and features intended for the main UTME. This practice served to evaluate the board’s readiness for the actual examination and offered candidates, especially those unfamiliar with computer usage, an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the CBT environment. Additionally, it catered to individuals seeking familiarity with the CBT mode of testing before the main examination.
“It is against this backdrop that all candidates who had indicated to take the mock examination at the point of registration are to visit https://www.jamb.gov.ng and click on 2024 Mock-UTME on the MENU button to print their slips after inputing their registration number.
Hence, candidates are strongly advised to avoid engaging in any form of examination malpractice that may compromise the integrity of the examination. The conduct will be closely monitored with strict supervision and CCTV coverage.
Moreover, candidates are cautioned against bringing prohibited items like wristwatches, calculators, flash drives, and phones into the examination halls, as outlined in the news bulletin.
