Mary Njoku, a Nollywood actress and filmmaker has sparked a debate about the necessity of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam for university admissions in Nigeria.
In a recent Instagram post, Mary questioned the relevance of JAMB, citing her personal experience of struggling with the exam multiple times before finding success in Nollywood.
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In her words: “Speaking from experience, JAMB almost ‘jammed’ my life. Literally.
After sitting for it multiple times with no admission, I thank God for NOLLYWOOD. That detour gave me purpose, but honestly, if you ask me (I know nobody is asking) I truly believe JAMB should be scrapped.”
Reflecting on her experience, Mary questions the logic behind requiring students to take the JAMB exam in addition to the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). She argues that the SSCE should be sufficient for determining a student’s eligibility for university admission.
“If universities want to be selective, they can ask for more credits, like A’s and B’s in key subjects,” Mary suggests. “But JAMB? It discourages thousands of bright, capable young people every single year.”
Reacting to the actress’s post , one dorkhairbeauty said: “Honestly, my son left area1 Abuja to area 11 5:30 my husband was not around I was so scared I prayed for God protection, this country”.
one uchedavid shared: “Honestly, I don’t think Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam is a necessity. Yes, we understand that the need to allow universities have control over number of students admitted yearly. This can also be achieved through the Post- Unified Tetiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME). But no, cause outr dear government must always find was to take from her citizen, whether it’s convenient, reasonable or not. In my humble opinion, I’ll suggest the government scraps the JAMB exam, and allow student to proceed to purchase of Post-UTME forms from their choice of tertiary institutions.. Let’s not forget that SS3 students still have to write Mock-up exams before the SSCE exams.”
