Tutorial Schools Push for One-Term JAMB Registrar

Operators of tutorial schools have urged the Federal Government to restrict the tenure of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) registrars to a single five-year term without the possibility of an extension.

While the JAMB Act gives the president the authority to appoint the registrar for five years with an option for renewal, the operators contended that prolonged tenures diminish accountability and negatively impact stakeholders.

The current JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, was initially appointed in August 2016 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari and was reappointed in 2021 for another five years, which will conclude in 2026.

In a conversation with Saturday PUNCH, Ogundokun Olufunso, the Secretary of the Association of Tutorial School Operators in Oyo State, stated that extending tenure leads to overconfidence and creates vulnerabilities.

“Five years is sufficient. Lengthening it to 10 years is excessive,” he remarked.

Olufunso criticized JAMB’s policy that confines services such as changing institutions and uploading O-level results to its offices and CBT centers, emphasizing that it marginalizes cybercafes, raises expenses for candidates, and causes overcrowding.

Nonetheless, he commended the implementation of computer-based testing, noting that it has improved the system and increased enrollment in tutorials.

JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin chose not to provide a comment.