Rep Member Akande-Sadipe Proposes Three-Year Validity for UTME Results

A member of the House of Representatives  representing Oluyole Federal Constituency, Mrs Tolulope Akande-Sadipe,  has proposed that the law establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) be amended to increase the validity of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to three years.

She said  in Ibadan on Friday  that the bill was sponsored on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday 16th March 2022.

The lawmaker  in the bill tagged “A Bill for an Act To Amend The Joint Admission And Matriculation Board (Establishment, Etc) Act, 2021 and other Related Matters,” urged the House to look into increasing the number of years JAMB results will be valid.

Akande-Sadipe, who is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs explained  that the proposed amendment for the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, the body conducting the examination, will make the examination body to function better.

The lawmaker noted that the yearly examination is great and has been able to determine applicants who are prepared for the rigorous task of studying in the tertiary environment but having a year valid score has been  worrisome to the average Nigerian.

She said,  “Most examinations meant for entrance for academics or otherwise are generally more than a year. Take a look at IELTS, SATS, GRE, and other recognised exams, they are either valid for three or four years and they have remained some of best after being able to stand the test of time.

“The bill seeks to increase the validity of the results of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) from one (1) year to three (3) years.”

Akande-Sadipe also noted that candidates, after the bill is adopted and passed into law, could be admitted into the university three years after sitting  UTME, stressing that this will save many Nigerians the cost of purchasing UTME forms every year.

Akande-Sadipe, who  gave reasons for the extension of UTME results  validity beyond one academic year, said some of it is to minimise the cost of running the examination, to allow candidates to plan, project and decide on which of the institutions to study.

This will also, according to her,  allow candidates to determine what to study and at which institution after seeing their strength and weaknesses, to minimise the logistical need for conducting the examination.

It will also reduces uncertainties surrounding applications and admissions and also  drastically reduce the number of applicants yearly without reducing the quality of the examination, she added.  

She said, “It is our job to legislate; make laws that will ease the sufferings of Nigerians. At the floor, I identified a major area that we need to look into in amending the act establishing JAMB.