Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu has charged all tertiary institutions that have conducted post-UTME examinations to immediately refund money taken from candidates.
He also declared that post-UTME examinations already taken are null and void, threatening that any institution caught still conducting the examination under any guise would be sanctioned.
According to a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong, he restated the ministry’s position that post-UTME examinations have been cancelled with immediate effect and no institution should conduct such examinations.
It stated that once the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has certified a candidate worthy of admission into any of the tertiary institutions, that candidate must be deemed fit by the institution.
The statement noted that students who had already been offered admission by JAMB, may be screened by the institutions but this must not involve the conduct of any other entry examination. The candidates can be screened by verifying their certificates but not through the conduct of examinations.
The minister stated that it is unnecessary to subject students to further examinations when they have been offered examinations by JAMB since they will still have to go through such between eight or 12 semester examinations throughout their four to six years study in the institutions.
He directed the National Universities Commission (NUC) and appropriate departments in the ministry to communicate the directive to relevant agencies and institutions to ensure strict compliance.
“Those who have already advertised for the conduct of the post-UTME under any guise should stop the exercise immediately as any university caught conducting post-UTMNE will face appropriate sanctions. If any tertiary institution has already conducted post-UTME, such an exercise stands annulled and money taken from such candidates must be refunded immediately,” he said.
Adamu said that it was important to emphasise the directive in order to ensure that no stakeholder is left in doubt as to government’s position on the matter.
He said that the responsibility for admission into public tertiary institutions lies solely with JAMB and under no circumstance whatsoever should anybody or institution take over that responsibility by proxy.
