Nollywood actress and filmmaker Mary Remmy Njoku has sparked a conversation about the relevance of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination in Nigeria’s education system.
“Why is it necessary to take the JAMB exam to gain admission into universities?” she wrote.
Isn’t the SSCE sufficient? I don’t understand the need for JAMB + post-JAMB when the SSCE already shows we’ve completed secondary school.
Recalling her experience with the UTME exams back in the day, she stated how she was unable to get into university because she failed it year after year, due to no fault of her own. Thankfully she found her purpose in acting some time after.
Speaking from experience, JAMB almost ‘jammed’ my life. Literally. After sitting for it multiple times with no admission, I thank God for Nollywood. That detour gave me purpose, but honestly, if you ask me (I know nobody is asking) I truly believe JAMB should be scrapped.
Why should students who already passed the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) be forced to jump through yet another hoop? If universities want to be selective, they can simply ask for more credits, like A’s and B’s in key subjects. That’s fair.
But JAMB? It discourages thousands of bright, capable young people every single year.
