2020 UTME: JAMB Shifts Admission Date To Sept 7

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced 7th September as the new date for the commencement of the 2020 admission processes into tertiary institutions in the country.

JAMB had earlier announced 22nd August 2020 for Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and other tertiary institutions to begin the post- Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) screening for the 2020 admission processes.

JAMB registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who announced the new date on Monday after a consultative virtual meeting with the vice-chancellors, rectors, and provosts, explained that the Board decided to shift the date of the admission process from the earlier announced 21 August, is to accommodate candidates who will be taking part in this year’s school-based Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

He said: “The view of JAMB is that while we go on consulting at a point when it becomes necessary for the decision, we should all come together and make a decision.

Presently as you are aware, WAEC starts the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) on 17 August, it will go on till 7th of September.

“Similarly, on the 21 of September or thereabout, NABTEB will commence its own examination that will go on till the 15 of October, and immediately after that, NECO starts on the 5th and will hold till 18 of November.

“Rather than make candidates run, particularly, when they will have to write their school certificate exam in different towns and rush to universities elsewhere for post-UTME, like somebody rushing from Sokoto to Ibadan for post-UTME, we believe as custodians of the highest sector of the education system, we should avoid that,” Oloyede said.

The JAMB boss said institutions whose post-UTME screening is mandatory for candidates would have to spread such exercise in two phases.

He said: “For those (institutions) who want to take post-UTME, that cannot be earlier than the 7th of September and it will be held twice- 7 September to 4 October, and then it will be held for the second time on the 18 November to mop up those who are taking their school certificate examination.”

Oloyede, who commended the various submissions of heads of tertiary institutions during the meeting, said institutions that conduct admissions without the administration of any-post UTME screening should also ensure candidates whose SSCE results will be released towards the end of the year are not denied participation in the admission exercise.

The JAMB’s registrar also revealed that the Board has withheld results of candidates that sat for this year’s UTME at Correctional Service Centres over suspected infractions.

“There are candidates who took exams in the prison yard that we know are not prisoners, so we wrote to the correctional centres to explain how that happened because we didn’t want non-prisoners to take advantage of the concessions we give to inmates,” Oloyede said.

The virtual meeting which attracted 488 participants from across all states in the country, was also attended by JAMB’s Director of Administration, Aliyu Muhammed; Director of Finance, Muktar Bello; Director of Information Communication Technology, Fabian Okoro, Director of Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, among others.