Lawmaker Proposes 3-Year Validity For UTME Results

Member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency, Rep Tolulope Akande-Sadipe has proposed that the law establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) should be amended to increase the validity of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to three years.

She revealed this in Ibadan on Friday, adding that the bill was sponsored on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday 16th March 2022.

The bill tagged, A Bill for an Act To Amend The Joint Admission And Matriculation Board (Establishment, Etc) Act, 2021 and other Related Matters, urged the House to look into increasing the number of years JAMB results will be valid for.

Akande-Sadipe, who Chairs the House Committee on Diaspora Affairs hinted that the proposed amendment for the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, the body conducting the examination, will make it function better.

The lawmaker noted that the yearly examination is great and has been able to determine applicants who are prepared for the rigorous task of studying in the tertiary environment but having a year valid score has been cumbersome, distorting, and worrisome to the average Nigerian.

She said “most examinations meant for entrance for academics or otherwise are generally more than a year. Take a look at IELTS, SATS, GRE, and other recognised exams, they are either valid for three or four years and they have remained one of best after being able to stand the test of time”.

“The Bill seeks to increase the validity of the results of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) from one (1) year to three (3) years”, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe said.

Akande-Sadipe also noted that candidates, after the bill is adopted and passed into law, could be admitted into the university three years after sitting for UTME, stressing that this will save many Nigerians the cost of purchasing UTME forms every year.

Speaking after plenary Rep. Tolulope gave reasons for the extension of score validity beyond one academic year, she said some of which is to minimise the cost of running the examination, to allows candidates to plan, project and decide on which of the institutions to study, to allows candidates to determine what to study and at where after seeing his/her strength and weaknesses, to minimise the logistical need for conducting the examination, to reduces uncertainties surrounding applications and admissions and also to drastically reduced the number of applicants yearly without reducing the quality of the examination.

She said: “It is our job to legislate; make laws that will ease the sufferings of Nigerians. At the floor, I identified a major area that we need to look into in amending the act establishing JAMB.