The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, disclosed on Sunday that some of its accredited officials have been penalised for preventing a hijab-wearing female UTME candidate from entering the exam hall with her headcover.
In a statement issued by JAMB’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin, the exam body disavowed any policy that forbids candidates from wearing religious items related to their faith.
The statement, which was in reaction to publications on some news platforms titled ‘Re: Lagos Centre Stops Hijab-Wearing Candidates as UTME Commences’ said the incident was instantly resolved with the female candidate being allowed to sit for the UTME with her hijab.
JAMB further clarified that the affected officials acted in ignorance, which is unacceptable, as ignorance of the law has no pardon before the law.
It mentioned that about 1.2 million candidates would have taken the 2024 UTME by Monday, April 22.
“It is worthy of note that the board, as a national institution, has no policy barring candidates from sporting the religious paraphernalia peculiar to their religious persuasions, as these are the facts of everyday life in Nigeria, which everyone should have been familiar with by now,” the statement added.