The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is considering the introduction of life skills and critical thinking into the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to broaden the assessment of candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Segun Aina, disclosed this on Wednesday during the Good Morning Nigeria programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), explaining that the proposed reforms would assess candidates’ abilities beyond their knowledge of academic subjects.
Aina clarified that UTME scores should not be viewed solely as a measure of a candidate’s knowledge but also as a ranking system that compares performance among candidates within a particular examination cycle.
“It is not how good you are that your JAMB score speaks to. It is more about how you rank against others,” he said.
He explained that the interpretation of scores depended largely on the overall performance of candidates in a given year, noting that a score considered high in one examination cycle might rank lower in another if other candidates performed exceptionally well.
On the proposed reforms, the registrar said JAMB had established a committee comprising education stakeholders and experts to develop recommendations on incorporating life skills and critical thinking into the examination framework.
He added that the committee would determine whether the competencies should be assessed as separate components or integrated into existing UTME subjects.
According to him, the initiative is part of efforts to make the examination more relevant to the demands of higher education by evaluating candidates’ reasoning abilities and practical competencies alongside academic knowledge.
Aina also announced new measures to address difficulties candidates face when updating their personal information on JAMB’s platform.
He said candidates who had lost access to the telephone numbers or email addresses used during registration could now update the details through the board’s approved procedures.
The registrar further disclosed that JAMB had introduced a National Identification Number (NIN) alignment process that allows candidates to correct their personal information with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) before aligning the updated records with their JAMB profiles.
He explained that the measure would help candidates whose admission prospects had been affected by discrepancies in their personal records, including their names and dates of birth.
“Thousands of people were stuck. They completed their degrees; they couldn’t go to university because this wasn’t possible. It is now possible,” Aina said.
He urged candidates to consult JAMB’s official website and social media platforms for accurate information on the proposed examination changes, personal data updates and other services provided by the board.
