JAMB Warns Parents Against Enrolling Minors For UTME

Parents are advised not to register their underage children for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, issued the warning in response to a lawsuit brought by Mrs. Ifeanyi Eke against the Board about purportedly offensive texts received to her 15-year-old daughter during the registration process.

How is the fifteen-year-old girl you know getting ready for college? If she follows the law as she says she does. According to current legislation, you have to devote six years to primary school, six years to primary school, and six years to secondary school. You will be eighteen by then.

However, in order to prepare a 15-year-old youngster for college, you have to make compromises when you shorten the time by three years, ne said.
A N100 million lawsuit was brought by Mrs. Eke in the Federal High Court of Lagos against JAMB and three other parties for allegedly sending her fifteen-year-old daughter indecent and unsolicited text messages.

In a press interview on Tuesday, Oloyede responded to the event by saying that the Board is prepared to meet with the woman while adamantly stating that the message's sender was not one of its employees.

According to the Registrar, after the incidence occurred, JAMB notified the security agencies to take the necessary measures, but the mother didn't care and filed a N100 million lawsuit at the child's expense.

He declared, "The individual is a fellow student; he is not a member of our staff or even the center's staff. He is comparable to a candidate, an undergraduate in one of the Universities.
“And talking about our data, nobody has access to our data. The person got the information from the phone of the underage girl.

“We will meet her in court, it is for the court to decide whether she deserves that money.”

The JAMB boss maintained that the person got the telephone number of the victim at the centre because they had a form to fill, saying that it has dealt appropriately with the centre, the reason being that it shouldn’t have allowed unauthorized persons on the premises.

He continued; “Even if the centres do not have access to our database, the person must have collected the number while interacting with her at the centre.

“We dealt with the centre on negligence, for allowing unauthorized persons to have access to where these candidates were. And we are urging parents to allow their children to be mature before registering for UTME.

“We are now saying that any centre that allows a parent to get near to where the candidates are been screened, that centre will be deleted.

“Secondly, we have instructed the centres to stop identifying the parents of the candidates and we will take appropriate action against the candidates.

“Parents cannot destroy the career of their children because of their emotions and indiscipline,” he added.
We dealt with the centre for its incompetence in granting access to unauthorised individuals to the whereabouts of these candidates. Additionally, before registering for the UTME, parents are urged to wait till their children are grown.

"At this point, we're saying that any facility that permits a parent to approach the area where the candidates are inspected would be removed.

Second, we've told the centres to stop identifying the candidates' parents, and we'll take the necessary steps against them.

"Parents cannot ruin their children's careers with their feelings and lack of self-control," he continued.