NYSC@50: JAMB RECEIVES NYSC CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS AWARD

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is a recipient of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC ) Critical Stakeholders Award.

The Board was among fifteen agencies of government listed under this award category, which has the likes of the Nigeria Army, Air force, Navy, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC), National Universities Commission (NUC), National Board for Technical Education(NBTE), Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the relevant Senate and House Committees.

The Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, received the award on behalf of JAMB on Saturday, 20th May, 2023, at the award night commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the scheme held at the Chida International Hotel, Abuja. In his remarks on the occasion, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said the Federal Government would continue to strive, in its modest way, to take the scheme to greater heights by innovating ways that would sustain its continued relevance in line with its conceptual objectives offostering reconciliation, reconstruction and rebuilding of the country.

The SGF, who served under the 8th Set of the scheme and one of its beneficiaries, recounted some sweet and lingering memories which culminated in his marrying his heartthrob, a fellow ‘youth corps’ of Yoruba extraction. He commended the transformations that have been brought to bear on the scheme especially those which seeks to make youth corpers employers of labour rather than employees courtesy of its various entrepreneurial skills acquisition programmes.

Mr. Mustapha, while commending the awardees, tasked them to continue to channel their energies towards making the scheme greater just as he prayed that the scheme would grow from strength to strength to fulfill its mandate of fostering national rebirth and reconstruction.

In the same vein, the Director General of the NYSC, Brig. General Y.D Ahmed, in his address, disclosed that NYSC is unarguably the largest youth organization in the country and commended the founding father, General Yakubu Gowon, for his thoughtfulness and passion that nutured the scheme from its infancy to the present state.

The NYSC boss also pointed out that the scheme had weathered the storm in the face of its many daunting challenges stating that no efforts would be spared to ensure that it lives up to its responsibilities. He also stated that the scheme will continue to wax stronger on account of its acceptability by Nigerians and reiterated its resolve to broaden its operations in line within the dictates of contemporary national values. He expressed appreciation to the awardees for their well-deserved honours and for their readiness to contribute to the growth of the scheme.

THE INDIVIDUAL BEING PARADED AS UTME HIGHEST SCORER UNKNOWN TO THE 2023 EXERCISE

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has decried the capacity for and desperation of some people or groups to engage in mischief for the purpose of achieving narrow and selfish interest through recourse to falsehoods and half truths. This is in reaction by the Board to the highly-misleading and widely-circulated social media publication being bandied around that one Atung Gerald with a score of 380 is the highest scorer in the 2023 UTME.

Nothing, the Board noted, could be further from the truth. The Board also expressed dismay at the level in which poorly-researched and very sensitive issues are being circulated in the public space even by people who should know better.

For instance, a careful study of the so-called UTME registration number of the said candidate would have shown that the people or groups pushing this fake narrative are patent carriers of fake news as the registration number could readily be seen that it is a non-existence registration number given its false features. In view of the foregoing, the Board urges all too always cross-check their facts before going public as a particular supposedly ‘hot’ news item might turn to be a red herring.

The Board also noted that the so called reward expected to be handed over to the owner of the phantom score is nothing but a figment of the fecund imagination of the writer as it had never for any reason directly rewarded or recognized any highest-scoring or lowest-scoring candidate.

This is, however, not to say that, the Board, in the course of conversations at some strategic events, has not had cause, at times, to release its ten highest UTME scorers to buttress some salient points especially when issues of what constitutes highest scores which included candidates O’level and institution’s screening scores are explained. Such had never been about directly honouring or rewarding such candidates.

It would be recalled that a decade ago, Cowbell had instituted an award for the highest scorers, as noble as that policy was, it was, to all intents and purposes, a private.

EFFECTIVE AND PRUDENT MANAGEMENT OF RESOURCES RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER N55B REMITTANCE – JAMB

…DE Candidates to Now Sit Same Examination With UTME Candidates

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation (JAMB) has again remitted N2billion as its interim surplus for the 2023 operating year, more would be remitted as its operations for the years are completed. This is in furtherance of the pledge by the Prof. Ishaq Oloyede-led management, on assumption of duty, that it would leverage on technology and discipline to manage the affairs of the Board. Since assuming office the Prof. Is-haq Oloyede-led management has remitted over N55billion to the Federal Government coffers.

This is far above the less than the N60million remitted by the Board in the 38 years of the existence of the Board prior to the appointment of Prof. Oloyede. On assumption of office of the current Registrar, he had come up with a policy which holds that whatever would be done, must be on the table.

This has changed the narratives such that JAMB now posts humongous returns to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). These returns were bolstered by the Board’s expanded internal capacities for its operations achieved through direct execution of its processes and procedures, which instantly resulted in, for instance, a savings of N1.2billion being paid annually to a service provider and a downward review of the N1.2billion being annually paid to another to about N400million with the same old service provider.

This in addition to the recovery of over N1.2billion in both cash and estates in choice areas of Abuja, in 2016. It was these steps and many others, which had ensured that a Board, which had remitted cumulatively in its 40 years of existence about N55 million to the national treasury, rendered N7.8billion in the first year of the assumption of office of Prof. Oloyede and has since contributed over N27billion directly into the national treasury.

The remitted amount is without prejudice to the 30% reduction in its application fee (N10.8billion in 4 years since the reduction), Capital Fund (N11billion including N6billion, which is yet to be committed), Annual Awards/Grants to Tertiary Institutions for Capital Projects (N1billion) and Special Staff Welfare Scheme (N2billion). This would aggregate the cumulative surplus to about N54billion over the last six years. In another development, the Board has expressed its commitment to press ahead with its efforts to reposition the conduct of public examinations in Nigeria.

In a statement issued at the end of its management committee meeting held to appraise the recent crisis witnessed in the conduct of the 2023 Direct Entry registration, the Board stated that the seeming crisis was birthed by the implementation of some of its newly -adopted processes aimed at curbing infractions in the admission value chain given our national peculiarities.

Another major policy change also to be implemented by the Board to holistically address all loopholes giving rise to abuses in the Direct Entry admission processes is that all DE candidates, which comprise those seeking to be in Year Two in the universities, would henceforth be required to sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME along with other candidates for them to justify the possession of their A’level certificates.

This policy is to be situated within the ambit of the Board’s relentless efforts aimed at enhancing the growth of the nation’s education se c tor as it would promote transparency, accountability and good governance .

It also underscores the Board’s commitment and determination towards changing the negative narrative of A’level admissions into higher institutions in Nigeria.

JAMB CONDUCTS PROMOTION EXAMINATION FOR STAFF

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has conducted its 2023 Staff Promotion Examination for 454 of its staff.

The exercise, took place on Wednesday, 17th May, 2023, in 38 centres across the federation including JAMB Professional Testing Centre (PTC), Kogo, and the National Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja.

The examination, which is held in line with the provisions of the public service rules for deserving officers to various cadres/levels, is an annual ritual in the Board. The examination was conducted using the CBT mode with all staff answering questions on computers as obtained with the Board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Those that took the examination included senior and junior cadre officers as well as those aspiring to the directorate cadre.

GLOWING TRIBUTES FOR EDUCATION MINISTER

…Launches CCMAS

It was commendation galore as the Hon. Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, received praises for the various landmark achievements recorded under his watch, particularly in the area of development of the nation’s universities and the education sector in general.

The series of commendation was part of the highlights of the public presentation of a book titled: “Repositioning the Nigerian Education System.

The Ministerial Footprints of Adamu Adamu” edited by the erudite scholar, Prof. Peter Okebukola. According to Prof. Okebukola, the book is a collection of the in delible foot prints, uncommon achievements and inroads that the Hon. Minister has made to better the education sector during his tenure in office. In his brief remarks shortly before the unveiling ceremony, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETfund), Arch. Sunny Echono, and his counterpart from the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria(TRCN), Prof. Josiah Ajiboye, took turns to shower encomiums on the Minister. Arch. Echono described Adamu Adamu as God’s gift to mankind while commending him for his passion for education, diligence, commitment to service hard work, sacrifice and loyalty, stating that he would forever be grateful for the mentorship received from the Hon. Minister.

On his part, Prof. Ajiboye said the Hon. Minister had left indelible footprints on the teaching profession especially with respect to the qualifying examination he introduced to enhance its professionalisation and the waivers granted to Nigerian teachers by the United Kingdom to work in the country. All these, he said, would remain indelible in the annals of this country.

In the same vein, tributes were heard from the Chief Executives of the NCCE, NTI, NERDC, among others. The occasion also witnessed the public presentation of CCMAS, which is the brainchild of the current leadership of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, the Chief Executive, NUC, described CCMAS as a game changer in the Nigerian university system as it is aimed at “broadly standardising the teaching and delivery of undergraduate courses across Nigerian universities.

” He commended the former NUC Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, for his role in its development, describing him as the chief architect of the programme. Prof. Abubakar also commended the Hon. Minister for his modest efforts at expanding access and quality in universities. “As of yesterday morning, there were 111 private universities in the country, as of yesterday evening, the number had risen to 148 private universities. That is of the 148 private universities in Nigeria, 87 or 60% came during the tenure of Mal. Adamu Adamu as Minister of Education, ” he said. Similarly, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, described the CCMAS as a right step in the right direction and a very important contribution to the repositioning of the Nigerian education system. ”

The new curriculum is no doubt a tremendous value addition to the repositioning of our education system and it is wonderful that this has happened under the current Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu,” he said.

The Hon. Minister of Education, while declaring the occasion open, said the CCMAS would go a long way in adding value to graduates being churned out annually from Nigerian universities. “We must continue to ensure graduates from Nigerian universities are equipped with the needed skills, knowledge and expertise in order to succeed in the 21st century.” “We must consistently strive to improve our educational programmes and learning with the reality of global best practices. The CCMAS book series is aimed at achieving this goal, “he said. Continuing, he said the launch of CCMAS in 17 disciplines was one of the greatest steps taken by the NUC to ensure that Nigerian universities meet current global demands, and called for its full implementation.

“The implementation of CCMAS requires dedication, hard work and willingness to embrace change by everyone, therefore, it is important we embrace training and equipping our academics with the necessary skills and knowledge to implement CCMAS,” he said. Proceeding from the book launch and CCMAS presentation, was a capacity – building training programme for the implementation of CCMAS.

The programme was rounded off with fitting tributes to the Late Prof. Idris Abdulkadir and the Late Prof. Nimi Briggs. Dignitaries on the occasion included a former Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqqayattu Rufa’i, former Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Julius Okojie, academia, and other distinguished personalities.

JIGAWA STATE COORDINATOR CHARGES FRESHERS OF KHADIJA UNIVERSITY ON DECORUM

The Jigawa State Coordinator of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Mr. Bello Aminu, has charged the fresh intakes of the Khadi ja University, Majia, to maintain decorum on the campus. Mr. Aminu gave the charge in an interaction with JAMBulletin at the sidelines of the matriculation ceremony for the 2022/2023 Academic Session held on 13th May, 2023. In his remarks, the State Coordinator underscored the importance of morality to national development.

He said, “Only if everyone will keep morality to mind, will Nigeria be a better place for all.” “I charge the matriculants to maintain decorum on the campushooliganism , cultism , a n d malpractices, under whatever guise, are unwholesome to your growth and development, they should be eschewed.” Earlier in his matriculation speech, the Vice – Chancellor of t h e University, Prof. Umar Muhammad Sani, disclosed that the institution is the third university in the State but is the only first private university in Jigawa State, adding that the institution is noted for its academic standard and excellence.

According to Prof. Sani, a total number of 260 students constituting 59.6% males and 40.4% females were matriculated while congratulating the freshers on their first academic ceremony. Continuing, the Vice-Chancellor admonished the students to avail themselves of the state-of-the-art learning facilities in the institution for an all-round learning experience.