Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, a federal lawmaker, has emphasised the importance of passing the pending bill regarding the validity of the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in the 10th National Assembly.
During an online seminar, the lawmaker expressed her opinion that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) should not operate as a revenue-generating agency of the government.
In a statement released by her media and publicity special assistant, Olamilekan Olusada, in Abuja on Tuesday, Ms. Akande-Sadipe argued against the annual administration of UTME.
Representing the Oluyole Federal Constituency in Oyo state, she reiterated that the assessment of JAMB should be based on the quality of the examination conducted, rather than the revenue generated for the federal government.
Ms. Akande-Sadipe highlighted that the bill aims to extend the validity of UTME results from one year to a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years.
“I presented the bill on March 16, 2022, on the floor of the House of Representatives, but due to the volume of bills considered, its progress has been slow. However, it has reached the committee level, and we are close to achieving our goal. If it becomes a reality, it will alleviate a lot of hardships for many households,” she stated.
Ms. Akande-Sadipe pointed out that in some countries, other internationally recognised examinations have a validity period of up to five years. She cited GMAT, GRE, IELTS, TOEFL, SAT, MCAT, PTE, and USMLE as examples of standardised international tests.
“I am not proposing an extension of the exam tenure for cases of failure. I am suggesting an extension for those who pass the exam. In Nigeria, if you don’t gain admission to a tertiary institution in a given year, you have to repeat the UTME. Why?” Ms. Akande-Sadipe questioned.
She argued that the UTME should be considered as a test to evaluate a candidate’s readiness for university or tertiary education, and that a candidate’s preparedness should not change after successfully attempting and passing the examination once.
