The Senate on Wednesday suspended the amendment of the Act
establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) so as
to allow for adequate consultation with stakeholders.
The upper chamber had earlier ratified the extension of the validity
of the results of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME)
being conducted by JAMB to three years.
According to the senate, the decision was granted to lessen the
financial burden of the examination on parents, students and JAMB.
Confirming the suspension, the Chairman, Senate Committee on
Education (Basic and Secondary), Senator Aliyu Wamakko, told reporters
during a visit to the headquarters of JAMB in Abuja, that the senate
would not approve laws that would impede the progress of any
institution.
Represented by Senator Ajayi Boroffice, Wamakko said:
“Your JAMB result is only valid for one year and we thought it will
be better for it to be valid at least for three years. It will reduce
the burden on the parents, on the students themselves even on the
institution that is conducting the test. I think it is what is good for
all of us and I don’t think the public will reject it.
“As I said we don’t make laws for an individual or for the senate. We
make law for the country in the interest of all of us. A bill must not
necessarily be at the convenience of a particular organization, having
said that, since we don’t want to make a law that will impede the
progress of any institution we are bound to listen to what they are
saying. We are bound to listen to them.”
“I think JAMB has made so much progress over the years and all we can
say is that they should continue to improve on their performance
because the lives of millions of Nigerians will depend on them and I
hope the confidence they will repose in them they will be able to
justify it. We are happy with our visit, we are happy with the
registrar, we are happy with the management and I think we are happy
with ourselves too,” he added.
In his reaction, JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, lauded the senate
for heeding to its appeal to suspend the amendment of its Act.
The Registrar also called on the members of the House of
Representatives and the Executive to follow the footstep of the senate
by giving room for consultation with stakeholders.
He said: “I believe that they must have considered so many things
before coming to that conclusion at that time but my appeal is to the
other legs – the House of Representatives and to the President that it
will do more harm to the students than good.
“One problem I find is that when there is a problem rather than
studying the problem and look for strategy to solving them we will jump
into conclusion which is more dangerous than the original problem.
“When you look at the issue of three years somebody mentioned that
that is what is done in Britain and US. There is a basic difference.
They are conducting aptitude test and aptitude test will last longer. We
are conducting achievement test and you can’t compare the two. If you
want to go in that direction why not but there will be change of
infrastructure, everything will be in place. You don’t midway into a
system.
“For instance when you make that type of law you have not contacted
NUC to say ‘NUC change your syllabus.’ You want to admit somebody you
conduct the exam today the intension is to test the ability of the
student to cope with university education at the 100 Level for instance.
If they change the syllabus our exam must change and that will not
synchronize with your three years. You will having a set of students who
are tested for a programme different from the one they are doing.”
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