The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Segun Aina, disclosed this on Wednesday during an appearance on the Good Morning Nigeria programme on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), where he explained that the proposed reforms were intended to make the examination more reflective of the competencies required for success in higher education.
According to Aina, the board is exploring ways to assess candidates’ ability to think critically and apply practical skills, rather than relying solely on their performance in conventional academic subjects.
He noted that a committee comprising education stakeholders and experts had been established to develop recommendations on how the proposed competencies could be incorporated into the examination.
The committee is expected to determine whether life skills and critical thinking should be assessed as separate components or integrated into existing UTME subjects as part of a broader review of the examination framework.
Aina also used the opportunity to clarify the significance of UTME scores, stressing that a candidate’s result should not be interpreted as an absolute measure of their knowledge or academic ability, but rather as an indication of their performance relative to other candidates in the same examination cycle.
“It is not how good you are that your JAMB score speaks to. It is more about how you rank against others,” he said.
The registrar explained that the minimum entry score and the general perception of what constitutes a high or low score were influenced by the overall performance of candidates in a particular year.
“If you are in a cohort of JAMB candidates where everybody scores above 300, then 299 will suddenly start to look like a very low score. So, we must put this thing in proper perspective,” he said.
His remarks highlighted the importance of understanding UTME results within the context of the performance of the entire candidate population, rather than treating individual scores as a definitive measure of a candidate’s knowledge.
Beyond the proposed examination reforms, Aina announced measures introduced by the board to address difficulties candidates face when attempting to update their personal information on the JAMB platform.
He disclosed that candidates who had lost access to the telephone numbers or email addresses used during registration could now change their contact details through procedures established by the board.
The registrar also announced a National Identification Number (NIN) alignment process designed to help candidates correct discrepancies in their personal records by updating their information with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and subsequently aligning the corrected details with their JAMB profiles.
According to him, the new arrangement represents a departure from previous restrictions that made it difficult for candidates to correct certain personal details, including their names and dates of birth.
“Before, you could not change your name or your date of birth on the JAMB profile,” Aina said.
He explained that the restrictions had created serious difficulties for candidates whose personal information did not match across official records, sometimes affecting their ability to proceed with admission plans despite having completed their academic programmes.
“Thousands of people were stuck. They completed their degrees; they couldn’t go to university because this wasn’t possible. It is now possible,” he added.
The registrar urged candidates seeking clarification on the new procedures, as well as other services provided by the board, to consult JAMB’s official website and social media platforms for accurate and updated information.
The proposed inclusion of life skills and critical thinking, alongside the introduction of measures to resolve candidates’ personal data challenges, signals the board’s intention to review aspects of its examination system and administrative processes.
However, the incorporation of the proposed competencies into the UTME will depend on the recommendations of the committee established to examine the feasibility and appropriate methods of implementation.