Post-UTME to begin in varsities, polys, others September 7

•JAMB withholds results for prison centres

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that post- Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (post-UTME) screening for the 2020 admission processes will now begin not earlier than September 7, 2020 in the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

The board said the shift in the date of the admission process from the earlier announced August 21, was to accommodate candidates who would be taking part in this year’s school-based Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, made this known yesterday after a consultative virtual meeting with vice chancellors, rectors, and provosts of tertiary education institutions.

“The view of JAMB is that while we go on consulting, at a point when it becomes necessary for decision, we should all come together and take decision. Presently, as you are aware, WAEC starts the Senior School Certificate Examination on August 17, it will go on till September 7.

“Similarly, on the September 21 or thereabout, NABTEB will commence its own examination that will go on till October 15, and immediately after that, NECO starts on the 5th and will hold till November 18.

“Rather than making candidates run, particularly, when they will have to write their school certificate exam in different towns and rush to university elsewhere for post-UTME, like somebody rushing from Sokoto to Ibadan for post-UTME, we believe, as a custodian of the highest sector of the education system, we should avoid that,” Oloyede said.

The JAMB boss said institutions whose post-UTME screening is mandatory for candidates would have to spread such exercise in two phases.

“For those (institutions) who want to take post-UTME, that cannot be earlier than the September 7, it will be held twice- September 7 to October 4, and then it will be held for the second time on November 18 to mop up those who are taking their school certificate examination.”

According to Oloyede, institutions that conduct admissions without the administration of any post-UTME screening should also ensure that candidates whose SSCE results will be released towards the end of the year are not denied participation in the exercise.

The JAMB registrar revealed that the board had withheld results of candidates that sat for this year’s UTME at Correctional Service centres (prisons) over suspected infractions.

“There are candidates who took exams in the prison yard that we know are not prisoners, so we wrote to the correctional centres to explain how that happens, because we didn’t want non-prisoners to take advantage of the concessions we give to inmates,” Oloyede said.