The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has taken disciplinary action against one of its officials in Lagos for instructing a female candidate to remove her hijab before entering the examination hall during the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) which began on April 19, 2024.
The incident occurred at Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos, where a candidate wearing a hijab was asked to remove her headcover during the accreditation process.
This action sparked controversy and drew criticism from some members of the public.
In response, JAMB issued a statement expressing regret over the incident and clarified that such actions are not in line with its examination guidelines.
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The board emphasized that candidates should not be prevented from wearing religious attire, and the official involved was sanctioned to deter similar occurrences in the future.
JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, explained that the incident stemmed from the ignorance of some accredited partners or officials regarding the board’s guidelines on accreditation.
The statement reassured the public that the matter would be thoroughly investigated to prevent future occurrences and ensure adherence to established guidelines.
Despite this issue, JAMB reported that the overall conduct of the 2024 UTME has been smooth, with over 1.2 million candidates expected to have completed the examination by Monday.
The board affirmed its commitment to its mandate of selecting qualified candidates for admission into tertiary institutions and pledged to address any challenges encountered during the examination process.
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