Private school proprietors want JAMB to shift UTME

Unconvinced by the assurances of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday that candidates sitting for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) would not be denied the opportunity of sitting for the examination, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has weighed in pleading JAMB to reconsider its position and shift the date for its examination.
There have been fears over a clash in the timetable of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and UTME.
According to the timetable, WAEC students who are expected to write Animal Husbandry on April 11 by 9:00 a.m. are also expected to sit for the UTME the same day at 7:00 a.m..
NAPPS says it is “utterly impossible for a student offering Animal Husbandry and also the UTME to participate in both examinations.”
It adds in a statement by its National President Dr. Sally Adukwu-Bolujoko:
: “Though the Registrar/CEO of JAMB has denied any such clash, it is obvious to every eye seeing the timetables of WAEC and JAMB that there is at least one, clashing on the 11th of April, 2019. Some of the students are even taking the UTME outside the towns where they are taking SSCE.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“As critical stakeholders in education and as those dealing directly with the affected students, NAPPS is aware of collaborative meetings between the examination bodies in Nigeria to fix and harmonize dates of examinations. NAPPS is also aware that this may not be unconnected with the changes in dates of the General Elections which caused disruptions in several quarters. NAPPS therefore makes this very passionate appeal to the Chairman of JAMB – Dr Emmanuel Ndukwe and The Registrar/CEO – Prof Is’haq Oloyede as fathers, to use their good offices to make some adjustments to avoid a case where a student will even be disqualified from the gains of the UTME because he missed the qualifying examinations.
“All eyes are actually on JAMB to adjust their dates for obvious reasons which is that WAEC/SSCE is a West African Examination involving many West African countries, while JAMB’s UTME is limited to Nigeria. It is only natural to look up to JAMB to save us from a national calamity.
“We therefore hope that our plea and that of other well-meaning individuals, organizations and stakeholders would receive favorable attention from the respected Board. We thank you in advance for that.
At least 1.8 million candidates are expected to write this year’s UTME, while over one million students also registered for the May/June of the WASSCE across the country.
JAMB spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, however explained in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that WAEC starts with practicals and it has so many sessions for its practicals.
“People have been talking about clashes between WAEC and JAMB timetable.
“We (JAMB) have met with the WAEC management and WAEC has just given us an assurance that there is no clash; that people don’t just understand the modus operandi of the timetable especially as it affects the practicals.
“The WAEC Practicals are in sections. There is no clash at all and that allegation of a clash in timetable is unfounded and baseless.
“WAEC has given us an assurance that it has accommodated all the fears of candidates. That the practical subjects are scheduled in sections in such a way that there would not be any clash at all.
But parents continue to lament the clumsy arrangement, which they say is unworkable for their wards.
Said one: “JAMB reasons are not feasible for instance my daughter is taking WAEC at Enugu and she was posted to Federal College of Education, Eha Amufu for JAMB.
“It will take her at least one hour to return to Enugu after JAMB to meet the animal husbandry practicals.
In what state of mind will she when she travels that distance and back for another exam?