By G9ija
As the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) kicked off on Friday across 750 computer-based test centres in Nigeria, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said it is no longer mandatory for candidates above 18 years of age to present their vaccination card for the coronavirus pandemic before being allowed into the examination centres.
Newsmen had sought clarifications from the examination body following a series of enquiries by parents and candidates who were unsure of JAMB’s new guidelines and requirements for admission into the examination halls.
Though the official spokesperson for the examination body, Fabian Benjamin, neither picked up calls to his telephone number nor replied to messages sent, a senior official of JAMB confirmed the recent development to our reporter.
The official, who does not want to be mentioned since there was no formal directive to give such information, said candidates are only mandated to go to the centres with their face masks.
JAMB had, in December, issued a directive that for anyone above 18 years of age to gain access to any of its facilities nationwide, the presentation of a valid COVID-19 vaccination card was mandatory.
It added that the underage should present evidence of their age and face masks.
A statement issued on December 28 and signed by Mr Benjamin said those mandated to provide vaccination cards were persons covered under the NCDC vaccination policy.
Mr Benjamin said the clarification became necessary because it “discovered that many underage candidates were making frantic efforts to get vaccinated with some even falsifying their age to be vaccinated just to access services at the Board’s facilities.”
The statement had read in part; “All candidates, clients and other members of the public below the age of 18 years are not required to produce any vaccination card before being allowed access to our facilities. This category of persons are not covered by the NCDC vaccination policy.”
The decision followed a spike in COVID-19 infections globally at the time, which was occasioned by the discovery of the Omicron variant of the virus.
According to the JAMB official, since the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 reviewed the protocol, the examination body also reviewed its policies.
“Even during the registration, we only emphasised the use of nose masks for prospective candidates. So based on the current realities of decreased number of infections and reduced threat of the virus, only nose masks are mandatory for candidates,” the source said.
The source, however, said biometric verification is also the only condition for the candidates’ screening for attendance purpose, and that there would be no other forms of identification method.
The source also listed prohibited items that cannot be taken to the examination halls by the candidates.
These items, the source noted, include mobile phones, watches, pens, calculators or similar electronic devices, USB, compact discs (CDs), hard disks and other similar storage devices, among others.
Ahead of this year’s examination, JAMB had, in March, announced that 1,837,011 candidates registered for the examination.
It also said it has accredited a total of 750 centres nationwide to take part in the examination, while also urging candidates to abide by the rules and regulations guiding the examination.
The examination is holding nationwide despite the continued closure of the universities for almost three months, and the threat by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) to down tools.