The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has said that the board will not shift the 2019/2020 matriculation examination because of the general elections taking place next year.
Oloyede made this known on Monday, during an interaction with journalists shortly after delivering the 2018 Annual Sobo Sowemimo Lecture of the Abeokuta Club in Abeokuta.
The registrar said noted that since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had given the dates of the elections, the board has no option but to adjust and accommodate INEC timing.
“I don’t think there will be any need for a shift in the examination date because of the 2019 general elections. I believe INEC has done well by giving us a prior notice six months ago.
“They have given us the date of the elections. So we have no excuse not to have adjusted. We have adjusted appropriately,” he said.
Oloyede who decried incidence of unqualified candidates applying for the examination which he said causes the board “unnecessary luggage”, disclosed that the examination body would adopt stiffer measures prevent such candidates from applying and writing the examination.
[penci_blockquote style=”style-2″ align=”none” author=””]Oloyede, who said measures had been put in place to ensure that all applicants are minimally qualified, declined to disclose the exact number of the applicants expected for the 2019 exercise.[/penci_blockquote]
He stressed that JAMB would not allow anyone to take undue advantage over others and pointed out that the board would not repeat the mistake it recorded in the last examination as regards this development.
OLoyede revealed that JAMB would begin the 2019/2020 examination process by October, assuring that the procedure for the next examination would be better than the last one.
“We are on with the 2018/2019 admission exercise. This, we started just about a month ago. We believe that by the end of October, we would then begin the 2019/2020 admission.
“I can assure you that we are fine-tuning and learning from our mistakes last year. We are perfecting the processes and procedures, ensuring that no one is allowed to have undue advantage over the others.
Oloyede, who said measures had been put in place to ensure that all applicants are minimally qualified, declined to disclose the exact number of the applicants expected for the 2019 exercise.
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“It is difficult to say the exact number of applicants we are expecting this time. We expect to crash the number because many of those who are taking the forms are not even prepared or qualified for the exam.
“Some are SS1 students, who are just trying; contributing N5, 000 unduly to our purse. We are putting in place some checks to make people who want to apply to be minimally qualified.
“That’s where we are moving to, rather than creating unrealistic figures. We cannot say actually this is the figure but we are trying to ensure that we don’t have unnecessary luggage.
“We are not interested in the money. We are interested in having adequate preparation for those who are genuine students,” he stated.