The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has decried the low turnout of prospective candidates for the 2024 Direct Entry (DE) registration despite the extension of the period and expansion of registration centres to accommodate more candidates.
The board has in the same vein announced that the 2024 Supplementary Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) earlier scheduled to hold on 22nd June 2024, for some candidates would now hold for two days, between Friday, 21st and Saturday, 22nd June 2024.
Spokesperson of JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin made the disclosures in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
He recalled that in a bid to ensure that all desiring 2024 Direct Entry (DE) candidates register for the exercise, JAMB had approved extra registration points apart from the Professional Registration Centres (PRCs), which are JAMB-owned centres, in Lagos, Kwara, Osun and Osun States.
He said this was to ensure that every eligible candidate is given the opportunity to realise their dreams of registering for the exercise.
“However, findings from the field indicate that the expansion of registration centres was needless as the turnout in JKK Lagos, JAMB PRC, Ikoyi and Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos, is low, which is indicative of the fact that almost all prospective DE candidates had successfully registered.
“For instance, in some of these extra designated registration centres, less than ten candidates had presented themselves for registration, whereas the installed capacity of such centres was over 100 candidates per day.
“This notwithstanding, eligible candidates wishing to register for the 2024 DE are urged to take advantage of this window of opportunity to register as no further extension would be entertained by the Board.
“The general public is also invited to take note of these extra registration points provided by the Board and the unexpected near-zero turnouts of prospective DE candidates at these registration facilities as the Board would not listen to any further call for an extension when it eventually closes the exercise on Monday, 17th June 2024,” Benjamin stated.
He added, “Candidates who are scheduled for the 2024 Supplementary UTME are to note that the examination is scheduled to hold between Friday, 21st and Saturday, 22nd June, 2024 (two days).
“The Board had earlier announced only Saturday, 22nd June 2024 but now added Friday, 21st June 2024 due to the gracious release of the Friday, 21st by one of the sister examination body.
“Furthermore, candidates, who printed their supplementary UTME notification slip, and saw their schedule reading Friday, 21st June 2024, needed not worry as it falls within the time allocated for the examination,” he stated.
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