Reps Make Fresh Move To Extend Validity of UTME Results

The House of Representatives has kicked off fresh moves to extend the validity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result.

The green chamber on Wednesday, following a motion moved by Akintunde Rotimi (APC, Lagos), resolved that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) should extend the validity of the UTME result from the current one year to three years.

In the Ninth Assembly, Tolulope Shadipe (APC, Oyo) sponsored a bill to extend the validity for four years.

The bill sought to amend sections 5(1a) and 5(2) of the principal act. However, it was not passed before the last House adjourned sine die.

The motion
Mr Rotimi, in his motion, argued that the one-year validity of the UTME results is not in tandem with the current reality.

“If candidates cannot secure admission into any tertiary institution of their choice in the academic year the exam was taken, the result no matter how good becomes useless,” Mr Rotimi said.

The lawmaker said since other examinations like the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) have infinite validity, the UTME results should have three years.

He expressed concerns about the “backlog of candidates waiting for admission into the limited vacancies in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and its attendant pressure on the education system and parents.”

Mr Rotimi stated that JAMB remains adamant about the one-year validity despite the interruptions caused by strikes embarked upon by the academic staff union.

“Despite the incessant strikes embarked upon by ASUU which led to the loss of a complete academic calendar, JAMB still went ahead to administer its examination without recourse to the industrial action by ASUU,” he said.

He urged “the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to rethink and allow its result to be valid for at least 3 (three) years and conduct the entry exams at least twice annually.”

When it was put to vote by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, members unanimously adopted the motion and urged the Federal Ministry of Education to put mechanisms in place to ensure that the resolution is implemented.

In addition, the lawmakers urged JAMB to conduct the entry examinations at least twice a year.