If the UTME registration is not extended, many candidates and students will be deterred from participating in the examination.
To encourage and increase the participation of candidates for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the House of Representatives is considering extending the registration by two weeks.
Rep. Bello Shinkafi (APC Zamfara) pushed for this when he moved a motion on matters of national importance on the need to extend the registration of the exams conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) saying the current economic difficulty facing the nation has affected and hampered many families from registering their wards by the set timeline.
He expressed concern that the online registration which was a drawback to non-familiar candidates who anticipated to participate in the examination, could not achieve their main goal because of the deadline, adding that this development requires legislative intervention and attention.
“We are all aware of the painful economic situation prevailing the country as a result, many families have been constrained from registering their wards by timeline,” he said.
“Worried that the online registration which constituted a setback to non-conversant candidates who anticipated for the examination participation could not achieve the core objective because of imminent deadline which requires legislative attention and intervention.
“Also worried that without the extension of registration, many candidates would not be able to register, and participate in the exercise which means there will be no wider coverage and participation of this year’s UTME in Nigeria. Convinced that your quick response to the extension of time by Two weeks would encourage the parents of these candidates to persistently register their children, importantly this will reassure the public of the confidence of this current administration in Nigeria.”
OrderPaper recalls that registration of applicants for UTME commenced on the 15th of January and ended on the 26th of February 2024. The house referred the matter of urgent public importance to the committee of examination board for further legislative action.