Why Senate passed bill to extend JAMB result validity

The Senate on Thursday extended the validity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result conducted the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board from one year to three years.

It also backed the scrapping of the conduct of post-UTME for tertiary institutions’ admission seekers.

If President Muhammadu Buhari gives his assent to the bill and it becomes law, candidates with old results will, henceforth, be given preference over new UTME candidates in subsequent admission processes by the tertiary institutions.

The validity extension and the post-UTME scrapping was part of the amendments made to the JAMB Act.

The Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, which presented its report on “A Bill for An Act to Amend the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Act and for Other Matters Connected Thereof, 2016 SB.245” to the chamber during Thursday’s plenary, said the purpose of the bill was to amend the JAMB Act to increase the validity period of the UTME from one academic year to three academic years.

The Senate had passed the bill for the second reading on June 1, 2016, before referring same to the committee.

The committee said, in considering the bill, it made reference to the contributions of the lawmakers regarding the financial hardship experienced yearly by parents and guardians while sponsoring their children and wards for the UTME.

The report partly read, “A new Subsection ‘B’ is inserted after sub section ‘A’ of Section 5 as follows:

“5(b) The matriculation examination conducted by the board shall be the sole examination required for admission and entry into all universities, polytechnics (by whatever name called) and colleges of education (by whatever name called) to the exclusion of any other institution or body.

“(c) The appointment of examiners, moderators, invigilators, members of subject panels and committees and other persons with respect to matriculation examination and another matters incidental thereto or connected therewith;

The committee inserted a new ‘Section 6’which spells out the validity of UTME result.

The section partly read, “(i) Any examination conducted by the board pursuant to the powers conferred by this Act shall be valid for a period of three academic years from the date of the examination;

“(ii) A candidate meeting the requirements for admission and being duly qualified shall remain so qualified for the period prescribed in sub section 1 of this section;

“(iii) A candidate awaiting admission shall be given preference in the succeeding year over fresh applicants who shall only become eligible when the backlog has been cleared.”

The report added, “The committee recommends that the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria do approve its recommendations accordingly. The committee wishes to express its profound gratitude to the entire Senate for its usual support and accordingly urge the Senate to give this bill quick passage.”

The bill was unanimously passed by the senators.