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Senate considers amending JAMB Act to limit age of writing UTME

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The Senate Committee on Basic Education says it will pursue the amendment of the law establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to enable it limit the age of candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME to 16 years and above.
Vice Chairman of the committee, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, who gave the indication during the committee’s oversight visit to JAMB on Monday, said the committee had identified two major areas to be addressed in the proposed amendment for the exam body to function better.


Eyakenyi said “Our own work is that of making laws, to legislate; we have identified two major areas that we need to go into the process of amending the act establishing JAMB.
That’s the area of support we will give. 
“Other than that, we also intend to pass on what we have seen today to the appropriate MDAs, the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure the support that JAMB needs is given to them.”
The committee noted that candidates should not be admitted into the university below the age of 18 as age has a lot to do with his learning ability.
The senator, who stressed the importance of education to the development and future of Nigeria, said the sector deserves maximum attention as good quality education can only be achieved through funding and commitment of teachers and students.
While describing JAMB as a bridge between the secondary and the university, she said the agency was a necessary vehicle for the delivery of quality and standard education in Nigeria. 
 “If the products from the secondary schools are not properly catered for to be assessed before turning them into the university definitely you will have a problem,” she said.
Eyakenyi also commended the board for the smooth conduct of the 2021 UTME, stating that the exercise was free from malpractice as each candidate had different questions to answer, while describingJAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, as a round peg in a round hole, who knows his job.
The committee however queried why JAMB had almost 100% performance of its 2020 budget and over N500 million devoted to staff welfare apart from their regular salaries.
Responding, JAMB Registrar, Oloyede, told the committee that the bord does not have powers to disqualify any candidate on the basis of age, stating that individual institutions can decide on whoto admit as it is the case with University of Ibadan which does not admit candidates below 16 years.
Oloyede explained that the budget of the board was only 75 per cent implemented as the government issued a directive that 25 per cent of funds budgeted should be returned to the federation account.
He said staff of the board were properly incentivised to avoid the temptation of colluding with fraudsters to commit malpractice while conducting it’s exercises across the country, stating that part of the expenses were on their local travels, transportation and allowances.
He added that JAMB also sought the approval of the wages and salaries commission to pay its staff 13th month salary every year.
On the issue of general services and security, he said a minimum of 3 Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp, NSCDC, operatives were deployed to each centre during the 2021 UTME and paid a minimum of N45,000.
While speaking on the N1.027 billion paid out to CBT centres in the 2020 budget, Oloyede explained that N600 was paid to each CBT Centre per candidate in addition to other incentives. 
He also disclosed that JAMB intends to transform its headquarters in Bwari into an international examination centre as soon as it establishes a 2,500 capacity Computer Based Test, CBT, centre, whereby agencies wishing to conduct examination can patronise.
Speaking on the issue of low cutt off marks for education candidates, he said the issue of determining cut off marks was because of competition, adding that even if education cut off marks are reduced to 120, institutions will not be able to fill up to 50 per cent of their carrying capacity.
On the general performance for UTME in 2021, he said the board has been able to use the profile code and NIN to arrest the issue of multiple registration, adding that in 2021, NIMC supplied pictures of candidates in addition to the one captured by JAMB at the point of registration. 
He disclosed that some security agencies were involved in exam malpractice by swapping candidates after they have been cleared through the biometrics process, adding that at least two of them have been arrested after they were detected through CCTV cameras.
He noted that some candidates results may be withdrawn if after reviewing the exercise on CCTV they are found to be culpable of malpractice.

Education

UNICAL VC Promises to Resolve Dentistry Students’ Crisis

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From Ene Asuquo, Calabar

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi has promised that she would do everything humanly possible to ensure that the ongoing crisis in the institution’s Department of Dentistry, is resolved.

Prof.

Obi made the promise in Calabar during a press briefing, stressing that she will resolve the crisis before leaving office.

She explained that the problem predates her administration, and pledged to intensify efforts to rectify the crisis.

She added that the crisis was as a result of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)’s refusal to induct 2016 Dentistry students of the institution.

She also debunked claims circulating on social media that the institution’s Dentistry programme has lost its accreditation, describing the reports as “misinformation and distortion of facts,” clarifying that the programme remains fully accredited and no students have been directed to transfer to other universities.

“At no point did the University ask Dentistry students to seek transfers to other institutions, nor were they advised to ‘go and learn a trade’ as falsely alleged online,” the VC stated.

“I will feel very bad if I leave without solving this problem and the students are left hanging without knowing their fate. I won’t be fulfilled,” she said.

She reaffirmed the University’s commitment to ensuring all Dentistry students graduate and are duly licensed as dental surgeons.

She noted that the Dentistry programme commenced in the 2013/2014 academic session, and in November 2019, the University secured pre-clinical accreditation from the MDCN and full clinical accreditation was subsequently granted in December 2022.

The VC added that the university’s synergy and partnership with the Minister of Education and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to upgrade its facilities.

“All we asked for is time to engage with other institutions, update the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), and follow through on due processes,” she noted.

Speaking further, Obi said that some of the affected students demanded to be transferred to the Department of Medicine and Surgery but said it was not the solution as the department was already saturated.

She urged the affected students to remain calm, noting that the university was doing everything possible to resolve the issues before the end of her tenure.

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Education

NUT Reaffirms Commitment to Teachers’ Professional Development in Kwara

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From Abdullahi Abubakar, Ilorin

The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Kwara State Wing has restated its commitment to strengthening the professional growth of teachers across the State, to enhance the quality of education delivered in public schools. Speaking at the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop in Ilorin, the State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Yusuf Wahab Agboola, noted that continuous training of teachers remains a vital component of educational reform and improved classroom delivery.

The training, organised in collaboration with the NUT National Secretariat, is targeted at selected teachers and focuses on the “Study Circle Conveners’ Model”—a grassroots strategy for enhancing peer-to-peer learning and participatory leadership within the education sector.

Comrade Agboola explained that the workshop aims to equip teachers with practical skills in collaborative learning, peer engagement, and innovative teaching practices. He expressed optimism that the training would promote professional bonding among teachers and foster collective solutions to challenges facing the education sector.

Also speaking at the event, the National Coordinator of the NUT Study Circle Project, Comrade Solomon Igbelowowa, traced the initiative’s roots to 1985 when it was introduced in Nigeria by the Swedish Teachers Association, having recorded success in Sweden and other parts of the world. He commended the Nigerian Union of Teachers for sustaining the project over the years and urged participants to engage fully and make the most of the training opportunity.

The workshop was officially declared open by the National President of the NUT, Audu Amba, who was represented by the 3rd National Vice President, Bashir Oyewo.

He encouraged teachers to approach the sessions with dedication and punctuality.

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Education

JAMB Sets 150  Cut-off Mark for University Admissions

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By Tony Obiechina Abuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed 150 as the minimum cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2025/2026 academic session.

The decision was reached on Tuesday during the 2025 Policy Meeting on Admissions, held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, with stakeholders from various tertiary institutions in attendance.

According to JAMB, 140 was approved as the minimum score for colleges of nursing sciences, while polytechnics, colleges of education, and colleges of agriculture will admit candidates with a minimum score of 100.

“The minimum admissible scores for admissions for the next academic session have been fixed at 150 for universities, 100 for polytechnics, 100 for colleges of education, and 140 for colleges of nursing sciences by the stakeholders (Heads of Tertiary Institutions),” JAMB announced via its official X account.

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