JAMB responds to Peter Obi’s criticism of early exam schedules

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has responded to criticisms by a former Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, over the early resumption time for its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Obi had, in a post on X on Sunday, decried reports of candidates, mostly teenagers, being asked to travel to examination centres as early as 6:30 am despite security concerns.

He described the situation as “reckless,” citing incidents of accidents and missing candidates, and blamed it on what he called Nigeria’s inadequate investment in education.

According to Obi, setting exams for vulnerable teenagers at such early hours was endangering lives and exposing deeper systemic failures in the country’s education sector.

He said, “Setting exams for vulnerable teenagers as early as 6:00 AM while transporting them across far-flung locations is reckless.

“Already, reports are emerging of students getting into accidents and losing their young lives, some going missing, and many more being subjected to unnecessary trauma. Who takes responsibility when a 15- or 16-year-old child disappears or is harmed while trying to access their right to education?”

Reacting on Sunday, JAMB clarified that while candidates are expected to arrive by 6:30 am for verification and clearance, the examinations officially begin at 8:00 am.

The board explained that the early arrival was necessary to prevent late-coming, which could disrupt the exercise.

In a post on its official X account, JAMB wrote, “Your Excellency, I must assert that our examination is scheduled to commence at 8:00am, not 6:00 am. While verification and other clearance processes begins at 6:30am , it is imperative that candidates are afforded adequate time to settle in before the exam begins.”

The statement added, “Given the tendencies often observed among Nigerians to arrive late when a start time is set without space for eventuality, this structured timeline is essential to ensure that all candidates are properly prepared and can perform to the best of their abilities.”

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It was earlier reported that some parents expressed concerns over the early resumption time, saying it exposed candidates to risks, especially those assigned centres far from their homes.

Obi, in his post, stressed the need for aggressive investment in education, noting that Nigeria’s Gross Enrollment Ratio was significantly lower than global standards.

He compared Nigeria’s education infrastructure to Indonesia’s, arguing that expanding the number of universities and examination centres would improve safety and accessibility for students.