Breaking: JAMB To Pick New Date To Start 2020 Admission Exercise, Post-UTME Screening

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that it is considering a new date for the commencement of the 2020 admission exercise into tertiary institutions.

This is as the board announced that it will meet the heads of all tertiary institutions on Monday, 10th August 2020 (tomorrow) to decide on the possibility of shifting the dates.

Naija News recalls JAMB had earlier fixed 22nd August 2020 for the commencement of this year’s admission exercise but in a statement on Sunday, the board disclosed that it is considering a shift in date so as to accommodate some issues necessitated by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Giving further details, the board noted that the move is to accommodate students who have been unable to write their O’level examinations because of the COVID-19 outbreak and will be commencing same with WAEC exams later in August.

This was made known by JAMB in its weekly Bulletin made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday night.

It added that the scheduled meeting will consider and agree on the amendment of the earlier agreed date for the conduct of Post-UTME screening and other processes.

“As intellectuals, it is incumbent on the Board and the various tertiary institutions to always provide practical solutions to perceived challenges for the smooth running of the sector without being prompted by the government. Such solutions, when arrived at, would then be forwarded to the relevant Ministries or Agencies for further inputs and necessary approvals.

“It is in view of this that the Board is working to pre-empt any unpalatable situation that may arise if institutions conduct their admissions without accommodating the vast number of candidates that are about to take their O’level examinations.

“Consequently, the Board would, at the meeting, be looking at the possibility of ensuring that the various institutions either delay or prolong their screening exercises to accommodate candidates who will be taking the 2020 O’level Examinations to be conducted by WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, etc.

“The public will recall that owing to the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic, candidates who had sat the Board’s UTME under the Awaiting Results stipulation were unable to take the Senior School Certificate Examinations conducted by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) etc., as scheduled.

“It would also be recalled that owing to the further relaxation of the COVID-19-inspired restrictions by the Federal Government, the West African Examination Council has fixed the commencement of its examinations from 17th August 2020, and end them on 12th September 2020; National Business and Technical Education Board would conduct its series of examinations from 21st September 2020, to 15th October 2020, while the National Examinations Council would commence its own examination from 5th October and end same on 17th November 2020,” JAMB stated.