The Senate Committee on Basic Education is considering limiting the age of candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME to 16 years with an amendment to the act establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
The committee’s Vice Chairman, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, who gave the indication during an oversight visit to JAMB, said two other major areas have been identified to be addressed in the proposed JAMB Act amendment, adding that candidates should not be admitted into the university below the age of 18.
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JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede said the board does not have powers to disqualify any candidate on the basis of age, stating that individual institutions can decide on who to admit as it is the case with University of Ibadan which does not admit candidates below 16 years of age.
Oloyede said cut-off marks were introduce because of competition, adding that even if cut-off marks for candidates who applied to study education is reduced to 120, institutions will not be able to fill up to 50 percent of their carrying capacity.
On the general performance in the 2021 UTME, he said the board used the profile code and NIN to arrest the issue of multiple registration, adding that NIMC supplied pictures of candidates in addition to the image captured by JAMB at the point of registration.
He disclosed that at least two security agents were arrested after they were detected through CCTV cameras engaging in examination malpractice by swapping candidates after they had been cleared through the biometrics process.
Oloyede said some candidates’ results may be withdrawn if after reviewing the exercise on closed-circuit television (CCTV), they are found to be culpable of any form of malpractice.
(Editor-Oloyede Oworu)
