The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has berated a Lagos-based computer-based test (CBT) centre for stopping hijab-wearing candidates from writing the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Specifically, the examination body insisted that it had no policy barring candidates from sporting religious paraphernalia peculiar to their religious persuasions during its examinations.
JAMB’s Spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, gave the condemnation in a statement yesterday.
Benjamin, who condemned the action of the CBT centre, said that the ‘accredited partners’ involved had been sanctioned, assuring that the matter would be properly investigated to prevent a reoccurrence.
The statement reads: “The attention of the Board was drawn to an unfortunate incident at the Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos, where it was reported that a candidate donning hijab was asked to remove her headcover during the accreditation process before being allowed into the examination hall.
“The Board deeply regretted the incident and on investigation discovered that this particular incident or others in the past was not linked to any of its examination guidelines but rather a product of the misplaced priority of some of the board’s accredited partners or officials who claimed ignorance of the board’s guidelines on accreditation, which ensures that all only female officials are allowed to screen female candidates before allowing them to gain entrance into the hall.
“This situation was instantly addressed by a senior official of the Board at the centre and the candidate in question was allowed in after the usual checks with her hijab.
“However, since ignorance of the law is not an excuse, the officials have been appropriately sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to others that might wish to toe the line.”
Meanwhile, as the exercise, which commenced on April 19, is expected to end on April 29, Benjamin said that over 1.2 million of the 1.9 million candidates would have successfully taken the examination by today, April 22, 2024.
