1 million candidates to write JAMB exam Saturday

Clement Idoko, Abuja - 14.05.2008

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday disclosed that a total of 1,054,043 candidates will on Saturday sit for this year’s Universities Matriculation Examination.

JAMB Registrar and Chief Executive, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, made this known in Abuja while briefing journalists on the preparations of the board towards conduct of smooth and hitch-free examination.

Ojerinde revealed that this year’s enrolment indicated an increase of 142,364 candidates or 15 per cent over that last year.

He said the Saturday’s examination would take place simultaneously in 169 examination towns in Nigeria and five other countries of Ghana, Cameroun, Benin Republic, Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom.

He remarked that the increase in enrolment had correlation with the directive to all universities in the country to stop the pre-degree courses as alternative to JAMB as well as increase in the number of secondary schools across the country.

He stated the board had concluded all necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the examination, while warning candidates against any form of examination malpractices.

The JAMB boss predicted that in the next few years, over four to five million candidates would be sitting for SSCE in the country, stressing that this would lead to more candidates seeking university education.

He, therefore, urged private individuals, states and Federal Government to invest more in university education in order to avoid over-stretching the existing ones.

Ojerinde called on the National Universities commission (NUC) to consider licensing of more universities in the country.

He said in order to curtail the incidence of massive cheating in the examination halls, the board intended to experiment with a device that would demobilise all phones and communication gadgets within and around examination halls.