By Uche Amunike
The JAMB registration date for 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry (UTME/DE) examination has officially been postponed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and a new date announced.
Barely 24 hours after the board stated that it would not reschedule the registration process following the suspension of the verification portal for the National Identity Number (NIN) of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) due to hitches, a statement issued by JAMB Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin says that the JAMB registration date is now fixed for February 19, 2022 and will come to an end on Saturday March 26, 2022, as against the earlier scheduled registration date of February 12.
The one-week postponement made by JAMB according to the statement was to make room for the fine-tuning and upgrading of the registration procedures.
It partly stated: ‘The one-week postponement is to allow for more fine-tuning of the upgraded and more user-friendly procedures for candidates’ registration’.
‘The process, which will be concluded within the one-week extension period, is also aimed at accommodating feedbacks from candidates and other stakeholders alike’.
‘The board wishes the general public to note that the board is ever ready to provide world-class services to Nigerians.’
Self-registration outlets have also been introduced in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory and the nation’s commercial hub, Lagos where it allows candidates to attach themselves to a computer and register themselves according to the JAMB registration date.
This, according to the board, was expedient so as to minimize the crowd at the accredited Computer Based Test (CBT) centres in the two cities.
A new Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) code, 66019, has also been adopted as an additional code to complement the 55019 that has been in use since 2018, in order to ensure a hitch-free 2022 (UTME/DE) registration exercise and minimize difficulties that might be faced in creating profiles, especially as a lot of people will send requests with one USSD code.
According to the JAMB weekly bulletin released Monday, ASD Technologies which partners with the board has introduced a WhatsApp solution for applicants to aid their registration support and other complaints.
The bulletin noted that the platform will also provide step-by-step registration procedures while providing a feedback mechanism for effective service delivery. It will also complement the present ticketing system which will help expand access to critical services among others.
The statement released by Mr Benjamin also promises that the new and improved measures introduced by JAMB will be clearly stated in the next edition of its weekly bulletin, come February 14.
It also states that the new and improved procedures for the 2022/23 UTME registration will be available on the JAMB website, other media outlets and its working bulletin on Monday 14th February 2022 and urged candidates to follow up with the registration procedures keenly, as will be announced by the board.
