By Adedapo Adesanya
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it is considering a new date for the commencement of the 2020 tertiary institutions admission processes from the earlier announced date of August 22.
According to the examination body,it will be meeting all the tertiary institutions today to brainstorm on the possibility of shifting the commencement of admissions to a date that would better accommodate the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a responsive organisation whose mantra is equity and fairness, the board desires that every aspiring candidate who had taken its UTME be given equal opportunity to compete with his/her peers for the available openings.
”This is the reason for its call 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 the board 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 said
It further said that the board was 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.
JAMB added that the meeting would be looking at the possibility of ensuring that the various institutions either delay or prolong their screening to accommodate candidates who would be taking the 2020 O’ level Examinations to be conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the Nigerian Examination Council (NECO), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) among others.
Due to the pandemic, candidates who had sat the board’s UTME under the Awaiting Results stipulation were unable to take the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) conducted by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) etc., as scheduled.
It would also be recalled that owing to the further relaxation of the COVID-19-inspired restrictions by the federal government, the West African Examination Council has fixed the commencement of its examinations from next week Monday, August 17 through Saturday, September 12.
NABTEB, on the other hand, would conduct its series of examinations from Monday, September 21 to Tuesday, October 15, while the NECO would commence its own examination from Monday, October 5 to Tuesday, November 17.
Modupe Gbadeyanka