The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has clarified that the candidate who faced discrimination over the use of hijab at a Lagos centre where she sat the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination did not lose a minute of her scheduled time.
JAMB’s spokesperson, Fabian Benjamin, said in a statement that the clarification became necessary as information on social media suggests she lost part of the time she was supposed to sit the examination, noting that she was allowed the entire two hours to complete her exam.
The candidate, Ms. Tiamiyu Ayisat Morenikeji faced discrimination at UTME examination centre- Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos, when she was asked to remove her Hijab as part of the accreditation processes.
However, JAMB said the call for her compensation was, therefore, misplaced not only because it had no place in its operation but also because the candidate was not deprived of anything as the fracas lasted not more than five minutes.
In the statement JAMB added that such is not part of its policies and assured that the officials involved had been reprimanded.
“We urge all stakeholders, be it religious or civil society, to be circumspect with their requests, because the Board, as a national institution, does not pander to the whims and caprices of any group, creed or individual and will, therefore, continue to be fair and just in its dealings in line with its statutory duties.
”The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, wishes to further reiterate that Ms. Tiamiyu Ayisat Morenikeji who was asked to remove her Hijab at Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos, but was later allowed in through the kind intervention of the Board’s officials on ground, did not lose a minute out of her scheduled time.
“This clarification is necessary to dispel the erroneous insinuations in some quarters that she was not allowed into the examination venue until after 30 minutes with some even calling for compensation.
”This is a misleading narrative aimed at further inflaming passion and exacerbating an already-settled issue,” the statement said.
