Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has ruled out possible increase in the cost of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for 2019 exercise.
Cost of the UTME in past few years has remained N5, 000. But there was recent call for downward review of the cost following back to back remittance of over N7 billion realised from sale of UTME forms and other sundry services by JAMB.
Its Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, told journalists in Abuja, that JAMB was yet to give it a thought. He said the agitation in some quarters that registration fee for its candidates be reduced is baseless.
The JAMB boss questioned why the agitators are not asking WAEC, NECO, NABTEB to reduce the cost of their exams.
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“The secret was that we have means of managing the resources properly to the point that we now have what could be called surplus. That was largely because we are open enough to return the surplus to government. That might be the reason for the intense call for downward review of the cost,” Oloyede said.
He, however, said the exam body would only follow directive from the appropriate authorities on issues that concern cost of UTME.
“If the government feels we should adjust, we will adjust and not as a result of unqualified, baseless request in some quarters,” he said.