The Federal Government has overruled the JointAdmissions and Matriculation Board on its newadmission policy

Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of JAMB, Prof. ‘Dibu
Ojerinde
The Federal Government has overruled the Joint
Admissions and Matriculation Board on its new
admission policy that recently sparked off protests in
parts of the country.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr.
MacJohn Nwaobiala, disclosed this to State House
correspondents on Tuesday, after briefing President
Muhammadu Buhari of his ministry’s activities and
challenges at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
JAMB had, at its 2015 Combined Policy Meeting,
adopted a policy whereby candidates of universities with
surplus applicants for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examinations are reassigned to other universities with
lower number of applicants than their capacities.
Protest started at the University of Lagos when the
institution’s authorities announced that only candidates
whose names were officially forwarded by JAMB are
eligible to participate in this year’s UNILAG Post-UTME.
Nwaobiala told reporters that the decision was jointly
taken at a stakeholders’ meeting that had parents and
others in attendance.
He said because of the dust raised by the development,
the Federal Government had commenced consultation
with the aim of identifying where adjustments could be
made.
He however said students that made the cut-off marks
have been directed to go and write post-UME
examinations in their schools of first choice since that
was the bone of contention.
Nwaobiala said, “This JAMB thing has been there. As
the policy making body, when these issues were raised,
they raised in a stakeholders meeting. We normally have
what we call the policy meeting. Everything about
admission are discussed with parents and other
stakeholders at the meeting.
“These are decisions that we collectively took. However,
we have a listening hear. We have taken a lot of the
issues raised into consideration and we are consulting
to see the adjustments we can make here and there.
“The directive has been given. All the students that
made the cut-off marks have been told to go and write
post-UME examinations in their schools of first choice.
After, they can go to their schools of second choice.
That has been the bone of contention.”
On the threat by the West African Examinations Council
to withhold the results of candidates in 19 states, who
wrote the May/June 2015 WASSCE following unpaid
examination fees by the state governments, Nwaobiala
appealed to states to fulfil their promises.
Source. Pulse