The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board stated on Sunday that it has taken action against certain officials for bothering a female candidate wearing a hijab.
The female candidate who took her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination at the Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos was reportedly told to take off her headcover during the accreditation before entering the examination hall.
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs of the Board, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the Board expressed regret over the incident.
The Board explained that upon investigation, it found that such incidents in the past were not in line with its examination guidelines but were due to the misguided priorities of some of the Board’s partners or officials who claimed to be unaware of the guidelines on accreditation.
The statement said, “A senior official of the Board at the center promptly addressed the situation, and the candidate in question was allowed in after the usual checks with her hijab.
“However, since ignorance of the law is not an excuse, the officials have been appropriately punished to discourage others from similar actions in the future.
“It is important to note that the Board, as a national institution, does not have a policy prohibiting candidates from wearing religious symbols that are important to their beliefs, as these are common occurrences in Nigeria.
Additionally, the Board assured the public that the issue will be thoroughly investigated to prevent a repeat.
“The Board is dedicated to ensuring that qualified candidates are selected for admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions and will not allow anything or anyone to deviate from this goal,” it reiterated.
Meanwhile, the 2024 UTME, which started on Friday, 19th April 2024, has been affected by technical issues, with over 1.2 million candidates expected to have completed the examination by Monday, 22nd April 2024.
