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By Gabriel Dike
Ahead of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday met with state commissioners of education on the forthcoming exam.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, also briefed the education commissioners on the operation of the board.
Registration for the 2023 UTME would start from January 14 to February 14, 2023, while direct entry is scheduled for February 20th to April 20, 2023.
The board says Mock UTME would hold on March 16, 2023, and the UTME from April 29 to May 12, 2023, in approved centres nationwide.
The crucial meeting, which was held at Mariot Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, was used to sensitize the commissioners of education on the conduct of the forthcoming 2023 UTME nationwide.
Prof. Oloyede told The Education Report that the meeting was meant to sensitize and carry along the commissioners of education on the 2023 UTME and the activities of the board.
Speaking on behalf of the education commissioners at the end of the meeting, Enugu State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uchenna Eze, said the JAMB registrar has opened the widow of cooperation with his colleagues.
Prof. Eze applauded the several accomplishments recorded by JAMB under Prof. Oloyede and assured him that his colleagues would ensure the areas highlighted by the board are taken care of in the various states.
The Enugu State education commissioner assured the board that the commissioners would ensure schools in their respective states follow guidelines to ensure hitch-free conduct of the UTME.
The Abia State Commissioner for Education, Sir I.C. Mark, said the registrar briefed the commissioners on the preparedness of the board to conduct the UTME and what is expected of the various state ministries of education.
Sir Mark disclosed the board had reduced the number of centers nationwide. He said Abia UTME centers were reduced from 27 to 9. He assured that the ministry would be involved in the conduct of the 2023 UTME.
Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, described the meeting as an eye opener, which is the first of its kind with commissioners of education.
Prof. Arigbabu said the meeting discussed how to track candidates’ results of WASSCE and NECO rather than the board relying on the one submitted by students, saying the action would check those submitting fake results.
He also revealed that the board reduced the state UTME centers from 48 to 21 because some of them did not meet the stated standard and aided exam fraud
The Kogi State Commissioner for Education, Mr. Wemi Jones, said the meeting has helped to clear a lot of issues and that he and his colleagues were pleased with the performance of the board.
According to him, Prof. Oloyede briefed the commissioners about the challenges and threats faced by the board in the discharge of its duties and how they would be involved from registration to conduct of the 2023 UTME.
He also confirmed that the board reduced centres in the state from 17 to 16, adding, “we told the registrar that we want to be involved in the accreditation of centres.”
JAMB advised candidates that after successful payment and obtaining ePIN, they should proceed to any of the accredited CBT centres to complete their registration.
