Why UTME fee was reduced: JAMB

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Wednesday said it reduced its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Board Examination (UTME) registration fees because it wanted to reduce the burden of examination costs on parents.

The fee was reduced from N5000 to N3,500 for 2019 session, was also. Earlier today, the Federal Executive Council endorsed the reduction, in an announcement by education minister, Adamu Adamu. Fees for NECO and BECE were also slashed.

JAMB’s Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Wednesday, also said the reduction has been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The statement said Buhari was concerned about the burden of the registration fees on the plight of ordinary Nigerians.

“In Mr. President’s determination to alleviate poverty and ensure that every Nigerian desirous of tertiary education is not deprived, government had introduced policies and incentive to boost the economy of ordinary Nigerians and has seen this reduction as a platform to bring more Nigerians on the tertiary education template.

“The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board had in less than two years shown commitment to the avowed direction of the President Buhari-led administration by returning over 15 billion.

“Government had deliberated extensively on how to ensure that every Nigerian benefitted from the prudent management of resources in JAMB and came up with the fee reduction.

“The Board has been charged to sustain its known inclusiveness, transparency, accountability and the enviable position it is occupying amongst global examination bodies.”