By Chinyere Nwachukwu
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) says it will continue to collaborate with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in its effort to sanitise the country’s education sector.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Babatunde Akinteye, NANS Vice President, External Affairs, issued to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.
He commended the board for investing a lot in ensuring that the sector was not forced down the drains by those who do not mean well for the country and the future of the children.
“I wish to seize this opportunity to state that we stand with JAMB, in all that it has been doing to sanitize our country’s education system.
“Let me state here that we are using this moment to appreciate the leadership of JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede for a job well done.
“His promptness to the issues of malpractices and other corrupt practices in our nations education sector has been one of the strongest pillars, still holding Nigeria’s educational system against a final collapse,” he said.
Akinteye hailed the organisation for being responsive when there were complaints of Direct Entry applicants having tough times registering for their examination.
“About two weeks ago, acting on a piece of information, I went with my team to the JAMB office at Ikoyi in Lagos at about past 11p.m. and I met prospective Direct Entry candidates sleeping outside the office in a bid to meet up with the completion of their registration and a closing date that was in earnest.
” I was forced to call out JAMB, as an agency and a meeting was summoned. It was in this meeting that we were made to understand that the reason the registration centers were reduced was because of the abnormalities going on in some tertiary institutions.
“Some students purchase Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certificates and then use same to obtain their Direct Entry forms to begin at a higher level in various institutions of higher learning,” he explained.
According to him, JAMB, as an examination body, got to discover the unhealthy practice,, and in its bid to curb it, went ahead to streamline the registration centres for the examination, for proper monitoring and supervision.
“Before the end of the said meeting, we were able to appeal to JAMB to decongest these centres and extend the closing date for more candidates to be able to complete their registrations and they obliged immediately.
“Lagos was given another registration centre, which is the JKK CBT centre on Ikorodu Road, and thereafter the decongestion continued. The issue now is this: due to an extension by the board of the closing date, the Direct Entry candidates have relaxed.
“They have stopped going for registration and it shouldn’t be so. This second phase of extension closes any time from now.
” I therefore want to use this medium to thank the JAMB registrar once again for this rare privilege. I am also appealing to the Direct Entry candidates to, and I want to believe that they have gone to complete their registrations before the stipulated deadline to avoid the unnecessary 11th hour rush that is inimical to us.
“I also wish to inform institutions of higher learning across the country and beyond, who are culpable in this certificate sales saga, that we are compiling their names and we shall expose them all in no record time,” he warned.
He pleaded with Nigerian students to shun acts capable of compromising their future, and avoid cutting corners.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the board, had on May 23 reopened another window for the registration of the direct entry candidates after public outcry for an extension of the exercise.
The board said it would continue to do all it could, to ensure that every Nigerian child was given equal opportunity in the quest for higher learning, but with zero tolerance to any form of malpractice.
It had also stated that the one week window would come to an end on Tuesday, May 30, with no plans for further extension. (NAN)
