JAMB Sanctions Officials Over Harassment Of Hijab-Wearing Candidate

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has taken disciplinary actions against some of its officials following an incident involving the harassment of a female candidate wearing a hijab during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) at the Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos.

Recall that the female candidate was reportedly asked to remove her hijab during the accreditation process before being allowed entry into the examination hall, an act that contradicts JAMB’s inclusive guidelines.

The incident, which occurred on Saturday, prompted an immediate response from JAMB’s management.

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The Head of Public Affairs for JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, issued a statement regretting the incident and emphasizing that it did not reflect the Board’s examination guidelines.

The statement clarified, “This situation was instantly addressed by a senior official of the Board at the centre, and the candidate in question was allowed in after the usual checks with her hijab.”

Further investigations revealed that the unfortunate event stemmed from the actions of some of JAMB’s accredited partners or officials who were unaware of the Board’s guidelines concerning accreditation.

“However, since ignorance of the law is not an excuse, the officials have been appropriately sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to others who might wish to toe the same line going forward,” Benjamin added.

JAMB reiterated its commitment to upholding candidates’ rights to wear religious attire, stating that the institution has no policy against candidates wearing religious paraphernalia.

“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,” he said.

The Board also assured the public that measures are being taken to prevent such incidents in the future and that it remains dedicated to its statutory role of ensuring that suitably qualified candidates are selected for admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions.