JAMB to Go Ahead with 2018 UTME Despite Varsity Strike
By Senator Iroegbu in Abuja
The Joint
Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) has concluded plans to go ahead
with the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) despite
the ongoing strike by the non-academic staff of Nigerian universities.
The Head of
Media and Public Relations, JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement
yesterday, clarified that while the board would not take sides and
respects the decision of the non-teaching staff, it would however go
ahead with the examination as scheduled.
“The
attention of the board has been drawn to the release by NAN on the
board’s mock examination slated for February 26, 2018 where I was quoted
to have said the board will go on with the mock examination
irrespective of the on going sstrike by the non academic unions of
universities nation wide.
“First, the board wants to appreciate the unions for the support it has given the board in the successes of previous examinations and sympathized with the unions over the present predicaments,” Benjamin stated.
The Chairman of the
Joiny Action Committee (JAC) of the non-academic staff, Samson Ugwoke,
had in more than one occasion warned that they would not cooperate with
ongoing admission processes in the nation’s universities as long as the
strike susbsists.
The non-teaching
staff union comprise of three main unions including: Senior Staff
Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non Academic Staff Union
of Associated Institutions (NASU) and the National Association Academic
Technologists (NAAT).
But the JAMB spokesman said the board could not have said it would go on with the examination with or without their suspending the strike rather the board found itself in a situation that it has to go on with conduct of the examination.
“We are
still hopeful that an amicable resolution of the crisis would be reached
before the date of the examination. The unions are our critical
stakeholders and their absence would be felt if the issue is not resolves
before February 26. We had prayed and work tirelessly to ensure that
the strike was called off hence our continued shifting of the dates for
the examination,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Benjamin said the heads of all public examination bodies in Nigeria had met on Friday last week to harmonise its examination calender with the view of having a seamless examination.
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