Why we did UTME many times

THE era of writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) once and making it seems to have been long gone.

With an average of 1.5 million candidates writing yearly (1, 272, 284 – 2016; 1, 736, 571 – 2017; 1,652,825 – 2018), and the inability of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to absorb eligible candidates, few candidates are lucky to be admitted after their first try.

While those who attended the university in the 80s most likely wrote once, some respondents who completed their secondary education in the 90s told The Nation that they had to take the exam twice or thrice before getting in.

“I did JAMB twice and PolyJAMB once. Spent a year at home and a year in the polytechnic before I went to the university,” said a Lagos banker, who wrote in the era when the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) still conducted separate examinations for university applicants (University Matriculation Examination, UME) on the one hand and Monotechnics, polytechnics and colleges of Education (MPCE Matriculation Examination) for the other category of applicants.

Another respondent said she wrote thrice because of her insistence on studying Law.

The Nation, March 29, 2018

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now