From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced new dates for its 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The changes was, perhaps, due to hitches experienced by thousands of candidates who are trying to register for the examination using the National Identification Number (NIN) made compulsory for all candidates interested in participating in the examination.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who announced the new dates at a press conference in Abuja, on Saturday, said the UTME registration which was supposed to end on 15th May, has been extended by two weeks.
The UTME examination which was hitherto fixed for 5th to 19th June, 2021, will now commence on 19th July and run till 3rd July, 2021, while the mock examination which was supposed to be on 28th May, was shifted to 3rd June.
Prof. Oloyede said the Board remains committed to the credibility of the system, hence it will consider the interest of candidates particularly those having NIN challenges.
He said the board will dispatch monitoring teams to states during the extension period, in addition to a committee that would under the Chairmanship of Director (ICT/FME) to seek for an alternative Value Added Service (VAS) company.
He announced that the board has secured the commitment of National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) to give priority attention to UTME/DE prospective candidates.
He, thus, advised candidates for Direct Entry to, while procuring their ePIN, specify their category of admission, and where a DE candidate mistakenly purchases an ePIN for UTME, the selling point should rectify the error by swapping the ePIN to DE at no further cost to the candidate.