The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to conduct a mop-up examination for candidates who were unable to sit for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) due to various reasons.
The Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this on Wednesday during a stakeholders’ meeting with Chief External Examiners, state technical advisers, and other key stakeholders in Abuja.
“We are also taking a decision immediately that all those who missed that examination for whatever reason — the 5 per cent or 6 percent that missed the examination — we would be having mop-up. Normally, we have annual mop-up throughout the country for those who have one reason or the other.
“And it is for that reason we have also decided that even those who missed the earlier initial exam, who were absent, we will extend this opportunity to them.
“So it is not that we are doing something that is (wrong), in the university we have make up examination… It’s only we don’t allow the abuse of it. So we will allow all the candidates who because of one thing or the other not to be present in this (rescheduled) and the previous main exam,” he said.
The JAMB boss criticized those questioning the swift rescheduling of the exam for affected candidates, explaining the tight academic calendar that UTME candidates must adhere to.
“Most people are asking why the hasty rescheduling? Those people are far from knowing the reality on ground. They are talking from lack of knowledge. Anybody who knows how the education system knows that once JAMB conducts its UTME, from May WASSCE starts — that is the SSCE conducted by WAEC — and immediately NECO starts and immediately NABTEB follows and these set of students are the ones taking all these examinations. So, once you missed your time, it will be very difficult.
“Some are saying why can’t you fix it in July, August? Maybe they are oblivious of what happens when you do that. What of NDA? What of the Police Academy, what of air force exams that are regulated? They continue with their admissions and you deprive these people admission because they do not have UTME. We are conscious of our responsibility to this nation,” he said.
Reiterating his commitment to integrity and national duty, Oloyede dismissed any insinuations of bias in handling the crisis.
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