The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, JAMB, has opposed the Federal Government’s automated deduction of funds accruing to it from the registration fees paid by candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination, UTME.
This came as JAMB denied report that it increased its 2024 UTME, registration fee.
According to JAMB, government’s action was significantly reducing its revenue contribution to the Consolidated Revenue Fund, CRF.
JAMB ‘s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, yesterday, when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies.
Oloyede explained that from the schedule of IGR of the board from 2019 to 2022, there were significant reduction in remittances of revenue to the coffers of FG due to reduction of examination fees for UTME candidates.
He said hat the examination fee was reduced in 2019 from N5,00 to N3500, adding that FG had kicked off automated deduction of the internal revenue remittances after the reduction of the examination fee was approved and effected by the board.
Oloyede spoke as the chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies, Afoji Obuku called on all agencies under the jurisdiction of the committee to shore up their revenue and remittances to the government’s account.
Meanwhile, JAMB in a statement, yesterday by its spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin on the alleged hike in UTME, registration fee, denied that the board has increased its examination registration fee.
This is far from the truth as the cost of obtaining the Board’s UTME application documents remains N3,500, which has been the cost of its application documents since it was brought down from N5000 in 2018. Therefore, the board wishes to state that the cost of application documents price has not been increased despite the prevailing economic reality in the country which has also affected the cost of the board’s operations.
“Consequently, the board wishes to assure the general public that it has been doing all within its powers to ensure that candidates are not overburdened in anyway.
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One of these measures is to deliberately keep cost low hence its decision to make available its Use of English reading text free of charge through a QR code to ensure that the increase in cost of production is not passed to candidates.
“Therefore, all UTME candidates would access the reading text free of charge through multiple channels, which include their profiles, e-mail address, notification slip and the Board’s website.”
