The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has taken disciplinary action against some of its accredited officials following an incident where a candidate wearing a hijab was asked to remove her headgear during Saturday’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Lagos,Daily Trust reports.
The officials at the examination center insisted that the candidate remove her hijab before entering the hall, citing it as a requirement. However, upon investigation, JAMB found that such actions were not in line with its examination guidelines but rather a result of the misplaced priorities of some officials who were unaware of the guidelines.
JAMB clarified that its guidelines mandate the screening of all candidates, with female officials assigned to screen female candidates before allowing them into the examination hall. The situation was promptly rectified by a senior official at the center, and the candidate was permitted entry after standard checks were conducted, including with her hijab intact.
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In response to the incident, JAMB has sanctioned the officials involved as a deterrent to others, emphasizing that ignorance of the guidelines is not an excuse.
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the board’s Public Communication Advisor, affirmed in Abuja that JAMB does not have a policy prohibiting candidates from wearing religious attire related to their faith. Additionally, he mentioned that by Monday, April 22, approximately 1.2 million candidates would have completed the examination.
