By Maryam Abeeb, Abuja
The Senate Committee on Basic Education said it will pursue the amendment of the law establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), to enable it limit the age of candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME to 16 years and above.
Vice Chairman of the committee, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, gave the indication during the committee’s oversight visit to JAMB on Monday.
He said the committee had identified two major areas to be addressed in the proposed amendment for the exam body to function better.
Eyakenyi said, “Our own work is that of making laws, to legislate; we have identified two major areas that we need to go into the process of amending the act establishing JAMB. That’s the area of support we will give.
“Other than that, we also intend to pass on what we have seen today to the appropriate MDAs, the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure the support that JAMB needs is given to them.”
The committee noted that candidates should not be admitted into the university below the age of 18 as age has a lot to do with his learning ability.
The senator, who stressed the importance of education to the development and future of Nigeria, said the sector deserves maximum attention as good quality education can only be achieved through funding and commitment of teachers and students.
While describing JAMB as a bridge between the secondary and the university, she said the agency was a necessary vehicle for the delivery of quality and standard education in Nigeria.
