The member of the House of Representatives representing Oluyole federal constituency, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, has proposed that the law establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, be amended to increase the validity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, scores to three years.
Hon Akande-Sadipe revealed this in Ibadan today, adding that the bill was sponsored on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, 16th March, 2022.
The bill tagged, ‘A Bill for an Act To Amend the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (Establishment, Etc) Act, 2021 and other Related Matters, urged the House to look into increasing the number of years of the validity of the UTME results.
Akande-Sadipe, who chairs the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, hinted that the proposed amendment would empower JAMB, the body conducting entrance examination into Nigeria’s tertiary institution, to function better.
The lawmaker noted that the yearly examination is great and has been able to determine applicants who are prepared for the rigorous task of studying in the tertiary environment, but having a year valid score has been cumbersome, distorting, and worrisome to the average Nigerian.
She said, “Most examinations meant for entrance for academics or otherwise are generally more than a year. Take a look at IELTS, SATS, GRE, and others globally recognised examnations, they are either valid for three or four years and they have remained one of best after being able to stand the test of time.
“The Bill seeks to increase the validity of the results of the JAMB UTME from one year to three years.”
Akande-Sadipe also noted that candidates, after the bill is adopted and passed into law, could be admitted into the university three years after sitting for the UTME, stressing that this will save many Nigerians cost of purchasing UTME forms every year.
Hon Akande-Sadipe gave reasons for the extension of score validity beyond one academic year, insisting that some of the reasons are: to minimise the cost of running the examination; allow candidates to plan, project and decide on which of the institutions to study; allow candidates to determine what to study and at where, after seeing his/her strength and weaknesses; minimise the logistical need for conducting the examination; reduce uncertainties surrounding applications and admissions and also drastically reduce the number of applicants yearly, without reducing the quality of the examination.
She added, “It is our job to legislate; make laws that will ease the sufferings of Nigerians. At the floor, I identified a major area that we need to look into in amending the act establishing JAMB.”
