Jamb Registration portal for 2020 UTME to open Jan. 13 – Registration for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination (UTME) would start on January 13 and end on February 17, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede has said.
The JAMB Registrar said the examination would hold between March 14 and April 4 while an optional mock examination for candidates would take place on February 18.
Prof Oloyede disclosed this during a meeting with Commissioners for Education from the 36 states and other stakeholders on Monday in Abuja.
The JAMB registrar noted that registration for the 2020 UTME and Direct Entry would be done simultaneously between 13th of January and February 17.
He said the board has collaborated with the National Identity Management Commission for the smooth conduct of the examination as directed by the Federal Government.
Candidates are expected to obtain their National Identity Number from NIMC registration centres nationwide before they can sit for the examination, the board said.
The registrar noted that over 40, 000 candidates for the examination have obtained their NIN.
He insisted that the NIN was compulsory for the conduct of 2020 UTME.
The JAMB Registrar said: “The board is bringing in the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) as directed by the National Assembly and Federal Executive Council to conduct the 2020 UTME.
“This will ease our job because those who have not been able to register can now be transported to NIMC centres at the point of registration.
“I believe that over 40, 0000 candidates have already got their NIN.
“Everybody must rise up and support NIMC. We are also bringing in Computer Professional Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) to help in monitoring the Computer Based Centres (CBT).
“We also have the advantage of the Galaxy Backbone. Each of the CBT centres have been mapped with NIMC enrolment centres.
The registrar said that it was important for candidates to register with NIN as this will help to eliminate multiple registrations discovered during the 2019 registration exercise.
“Our experience last year showed that some candidates registered multiple times so as to perpetrate impersonation. This is because exam malpractices start at the point of registration.
“JAMB needs full collaborations of states education commissioners to help sensitise candidates in their various states on the need and importance of the NIN for 2020 registration.
“We have called you to inform you about our preparedness towards the conduct of the 2020 UTME and to pay attention to public examinations in your states and be conscious of proliferation of exam centres to perpetrate exam malpractices,” he said.
Oloyede noted that the board has put in place a Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) designed to prevent institutions from unilaterally changing or proposing a candidate for admission into programmes or courses other than his/her chosen course.
He said some institutions had devised a method of offering admission to candidates outside CAPS on their designated portals, warning that any institution doing so was putting the future of such candidate in jeopardy.
Oloyede explained that JAMB’s mandate required that in placing candidates, preference should be given to them to choose their course of study.