TheCable

The house of representatives has asked the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to extend the validity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results to three years.

The lower legislative chamber also urged the board to conduct the UTME at least twice a year.

By current arrangement, result of the exam conducted by JAMB is only valid for a year.

Candidates who are unable to get admission for that year are expected to take the exam the next year to pursue their quest for tertiary education.

But moving the motion on Wednesday, Akin Rotimi, the lawmaker representing Ekiti north 1 federal constituency, asked JAMB to “rethink” the arrangement to meet global standard.

Rotimi said the move “would bring immediate relief to students and their parents/sponsors, who bear the burden of paying every year for the exam, as well as give candidates multiple windows to sit for the exam in a year”.

He argued that there is nothing in the extant act establishing JAMB that stops it from immediately carrying out the resolutions of the house on the subject.

VIDEO: Reps ask JAMB to extend validity of UTME to 3 years pic.twitter.com/YYEDAbA7TJ

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In a statement, the lawmaker said the house also adopted a motion seeking to establish an ad-hoc committee to discuss the resolution of the house with JAMB and other and relevant authorities.

“In addition to passing my motion, the honourable house also passed a motion for an additional prayer moved by Hon. Olumide Osoba, establishing an ad-hoc committee of the house to liaise with the authorities of JAMB and the ministry of education to ensure the resolution is expeditiously carried out,” he said.

Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Oyo state, moved a similar bill during the 9th assembly.

However, the bill — which sought extension of UTME’s validity to four years — was stalled after the second reading.