“We Won’t Scrap JAMB And NECO”… Presidency

The Federal Government has said it will not scrap the Joint Admissions
and Matriculations Board (JAMB), as well as the National Examinations
Council (NECO), despite speculations making the rounds in recent days
that the examination bodies will be scrapped. The Minister of
Education, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa'I, is expected to announce the
government's position before next Monday.

The Presidency's clarification on the examination bodies was announced
by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth and Student
Matters, Comrade Jude Imagwe. The President's aide spoke at the annual
two-day workshop at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Ekiti
State, with the theme: 'Improved Teaching and Learning Methods in
Higher Education System."

Imagwe, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan at the event,
explained that the Federal Government was studying the White Paper
submitted by the Steve Oronsaye-led committee.

He said the Presidency, on Monday, convened a special meeting,
comprising Vice-Chancellors from public and private universities, the
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), as well as some top
government functionaries and took the decision. The President's aide
said because both bodies are government's babies, the government would
nurture them to maturity rather than scrap them.

According to him, since NECO and JAMB were established through an Act,
it would be wrong of the government to scrap them without recourse to
the laws that set them up. Imagwe accused the media of pre-empting the
government by making the announcement before the government. He said:
"There is a panel that was constituted by the government to look into
the White Paper that was presented to the Federal Government. When
White Papers are presented, they are mere recommendations. When the
government studies it, it comes out with its own positions. But there
was a misrepresentation in the media that the government had concluded
plans to scrap NECO and JAMB. "Just on Monday, we had a meeting on
this same issue. The President of NANS and his Secretary were there.
Vice-Chancellors of some private and public universities were also
represented. I can tell you categorically that a position is going to
be made public soonest. The Minister of Education will address the
public on government's final position before Monday. We must remember
that these are organs enacted by an Act. So, it is not that the
government will just wake up one day and scrap them."

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