By CHINYERE NWACHUKWU

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that the registration for Direct Entry has been extended till a later date.

Dr Fabian Benjamin, Public Communication Advisor of the board, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

According to him, in a bid to ensure that no Nigerian child is denied access to quality higher education, the board has decided to move the closing date for the Direct Entry registration to a later date.

JAMB had announced the commencement of the registration of the 2024 Direct Entry from Feb. 28 to March 28.

The board also extended the exercise by two weeks, bringing the closing date for the registration to April 11, due to some factors.

“Again, reports reaching us is that there is a surge by candidates, especially in Lagos, to beat this registration deadline.

“The board want to call on all candidates yet to register for the DE, to calm down, as the registration deadline is again, extended.

“This is because of the ongoing UTME in centres across the country.

“Again, it also our mandate to ensure that no Nigerian desirous of access to quality education is left behind.

“The board will soon announce a new date for the end of this year’s DE registration and so, candidates should relax, but ensure they register as soon as possible,” Benjamin said.

Meanwhile, Benjamin has described this year’s UTME which commenced on Friday, April 19, as the best in the history of public examinations in the country.

He said that the exercise which came to an end on Thursday, April 25, had indeed met the board’s expectations.

“This year’s examination is adjudged to be the best in the annals of public examination in Africa, by all standards and I must say it has met the expectations of the board.

“As we finish the 2024 exercise, the board is looking at cases of candidates who could not be verified and a position would be taken on its merit.

“For all those who miss the examination on account of coming late and other related issues not connected to the fault of the board, will have to try next time.

“Examination is only scheduled for candidates who were biometrically verified but unable to sit the examination,” he stated.

“Meanwhile, I will not fail to commend our partners, such as the NIMC, security agencies and others for the huge role they played during the exercise.

“Today, the board has drawn the curtain on this year’s UTME and we really want to appreciate these our partners, for the great role they played in ensuring this very successful outcome,” he said.

The board’s public communication advisor specifically singled out the NIMC for being the game changer.

He added that the NIMC platform used for the registration of candidates, demonstrated that it was possible to curb infractions of any nature, if the will was there.

“The registration exercise starts with candidates sending their NIN number to the board’s USSD codes, to pull their details.

“This has added significant value to the system, as malpractice starts from the point of registration. As soon as this stage is compromised the whole registration would have been gone,” he stated.

NAN reports that not less than 1.9 million candidates registered for this year’s UTME. (NAN)

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