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BREAKING: JAMB shifts 2021 UTME date, extends registration deadline

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced a new date for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Registrar of JAMB, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, announced that the examination date has been shifted from June 19 to July 3.

He made the announcement at a press conference on Saturday in Abuja, adding that the deadline for registration has been extended by two weeks.

The board also extended the UTME examination as well as the mock to further dates.

With this, the registration exercise will now end on May 29.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The JAMB 2021 UTME/DE registration will end on May 15th, 2021. What many candidates may not know is that the sales of ePIN will close before the registration. To be exact, the sales of ePIN will close on May 10th, 2021.

This means that if you do not get the JAMB e-PIN on or before May 10th, 2021 (for candidates yet to register), you will not be able to register for 2021 UTME/DE despite the fact that the actual registration deadline is May 15th as no accredited CBT registration centre will accept your request for UTME/DE registration without an e-PIN.

We, therefore, urge all candidates who are interested in registering for the 2021 UTME/DE but are yet to purchase the JAMB 2021 E-PIN to ensure they do so on or before May 10th, 2021.

"Message us now to help and guide you on how to successfully get the profile code and you can follow the instructions given on our previous post"

Hope PSBank Partners JAMB on E-pin Purchase

Hope PSBank has partnered with the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in a deal that will help prospective candidates for the upcoming 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, to purchase the e-pin on the bank’s platform, by visiting the bank’s website or its agents.

Giving details of the initiative in a statement, its Group Head, Corporate Services, Cletus Igah, said to purchase the e-pin, candidates are expected to visit Hope PSBank’s website or Mobile App: select payments, select account to debit, select education, select Jamb, select E-pin DE or UTME, enter profile code and authorise with their transaction PIN. The transaction will be approved and an e-pin will be generated. The e-pin generated can be used on the JAMB website.

The profile code, Igah said, could be retrieved via SMS by sending candidates National Identification Number (NIN) details to 55019 in the following format; NIN space NIN number.

Prospective candidates who have not registered for the NIN, which is mandatory for the UTME, can have this done by visiting the Hope PSBank website.select NIN Registration and fill the registration form then proceed to any Hope PSBank NIN Enrolment Center spread across the country for data capturing, Igah said.

This, Igah added, would eliminate the need to visit multiple centres to register for NIN and purchase JAMB e-pins.

Igah further said that candidates who have their NIN could visit any Hope PSBank agent and make payment for the JAMB e-pin or pay directly via Hope PSBank Digital App or Internet Banking. The e-Pin purchase portal is expected to close on Friday 10th of May.

“Hope PSBank, Nigeria’s premier digital bank is dedicated to providing innovative solutions that cut across the financial market and also provide access to financial services via digital platforms to all cadres of Nigerians,” Igah stated.

Since its inception in 2019, Hope Payment Service Bank, Nigeria’s premier digital bank has continually set the pace for driving financial inclusion, digital economy, and the cashless policy by providing innovative digital banking services.

To use the USSD option to create a profile code for UTME registration, candidates are to dial *55019*1*NIN # Candidates who have been unable to generate profile codes for the registration are advised to try this option.

Candidates that are still having challenges generating profile codes are advised to visit: https://jamb.gov.ng/support and open a ticket on the JAMB website and within 24 hours, they will be told what to do.

Why JAMB has rogue centres nationwide -Oloyede

The registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, has said the board has some rogues centres across the country.

Oloyede on Wednesday while monitoring the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations registration in Lagos said the rogue centres were created so as to apprehend and disqualify cheating candidates.

He said, “We have seen parents pay someone to write exams. We disqualify the candidate when they are caught.

“To catch a rogue you may need to pretend that you are one too.

We also opened rogue centres where we asked them to pay N15,000 if they want their marks to be upgraded. Once you submit your number we will collect your N15000 and disqualify you.”

JAMB announces new date for 2021 mock-UTME
He also condemned the unscrupulous acts of some schools who were charging above N4,700 for the purchase and registration fee of UTME.

Oloyede cautioned prospective candidates not to pay more than N4,700 for the purchase and registration of UTME, adding that any CBT centre which charged more than N700 would be discredited

“JAMB is collecting N3,500 but most of these schools charge more. All these elites schools, that is what they do. We have informed the ministry. I will write again to the Federal Ministry of Education to sanction these schools.

“The president has already reduced the cost of UTME to N3500, N500 for a book and N700 for registration at CBT centres.

“We will discredit any CBT centre that collects more than N700.00,” he said.

Less Competitive University Courses With Better Employment Prospects
(Admission Guides)

Writing this when the JAMB UTME/DE admission activities are ongoing is perfect. The time is right! With that, I know you will be attentive.

This post is a further guide on the courses to consider during this change of course exercise. And it’s a succeeding update on the recent one where I gave blunt pieces of advice on why a poor man's child should avoid chasing a rich-man child's course. That post got some quick shares back then that’s why I knew I was passing the right message.

And when I gave my readers a list of courses they could go for if they aimed for businesses or independence after graduation, they applauded it as well.

And right now, I want to add more to why admission seekers should avoid chasing some courses. Hence, this post will recommend a list of courses that are not only less competitive but have a great self-reliant and employable future.

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Less Competitive Courses with Better Employment Prospects
1. Hot Education Courses
Only a VERY FEW students want to be teachers. We all agree on that. But this is becoming the only field you can easily get engagement as soon as you’re done in schools.

Even though we don’t want to be holding chalks and facing a set of children seeking better futures, yet a part (if not most) of our lives will engage us as teachers.

If you doubt me, very many of us will teach as soon as we leave secondary schools. Probably you're already teaching by now before you gain admission? While in the universities, polytechnics or colleges, some will end up making side-money with part-time tutoring and home lessons. I don’t doubt it that, about 70% of corpers will be posted to schools across the nation.

And when you’re done with NYSC, you still return home to teach at least to get yourself engaged before any befitting job, if ever.

The most disappointing thing is that we don’t make much from the teaching engagements. You know why? A few of us were trained and certified teachers. While your colleagues who are trained teachers with NCE or B.Ed are earning 100, you may be paid 50 since you’re not seeing as a qualified teacher.

Then, why don't you go for this right from the start?

Education courses are less competitive, yet high in demand
If the situation of things in this country is favouring people in classes than the trained bankers and accountants, why swimming against the tide? Why don't we choose teaching our university or college courses?

It’s high time we stopped following the crowd. We need to know and follow what works.

Having said that, we must however carefully choose these education courses. Chemistry, Physics, Biology, English and Mathematics Education are hot-cakes. A few others that we must go for include Education Economics, Education Agriculture and so on. What matters is to go for the courses that are much more in demand in our schools.

Don’t fall for courses that a state governor may discard along the way. Physical and Health Education, Religious Education, Music Education, Home Economics, French Education and a few other good education courses but they are less rewarding because they are fading off in our schools.

2. Consulting/Professional Courses
There are courses that will train you to be independent after graduation. The government is spending millions to campaign for self-employment and entrepreneurship instead of spending that budget to create jobs. But that’s what they want - which is not going to change anytime sooner.

Graduates are getting the message now. You’d better gone for a course which not only can get you a government or office job but as well prepare you for personal business or consulting services.

Consulting/Professional Courses can be less competitive if chosen carefully
Having said that, most of the courses such as Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, etc are already crowded. A few are getting jobs and where they do, they are paid less. Don’t forget the law of demand and supply. The higher the number of competing workers, the less likely they earn.

Hence, I suggest you consider a few other less competitive and rewarding courses such as Industrial Relation and Personnel Management, Marketing, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Building Technology, Architecture, Entrepreneurship, Electrical Electronic Engineering, and so on.

The main reason I recommended those courses was because, on your graduation, you can start working with little capital if the labour market has no provision for you.

3. Agriculture Courses
I know you don’t want to be a farmer just like you don’t want to be a teacher. Yet, you teach most time of your life. Fear of hunger and poverty?

I don’t have to remind you that just as the government is clamoring for self-reliance, they are calling people to return to farms if we must get out of poverty.

As a result, they are making policies to favor a few who want to consider Agric-related courses or go for farming.

Fewer candidates are competing for Agric related courses
If you can get it from other reliable sources, confirm please! A graduate of animal science is being compensated as a medical doctor on the same salary scale if employed by the government. Know why? They want more people in the Agriculture field.

I heard this from a doctor whose daughter was offered Nursing but the man insisted she should change to Animal Science.

A few universities are now offering some Agric courses tuition-free. For example, Welsley University Ondo started offering admission into four of her free-tuition agric courses.

They’re numerous Agric courses in our universities now. Consider a competitive and independence-encouraging one while filling your admission form or changing your course. Another bonus! They won’t be as competitive. Hence, your chance to be on campus this year is higher.

4. Internet/Online Marketing and News Reporting Courses
Several graduates returned home to be left jobless for years in the past. Today, people are catching up. How?

They’re still be being helped by the government policies or the economy in general. There are being cared for by the internet.

Internet has been one of the best things ever happened to mankind. Graduates are taking advantage of this to start online businesses and services.

What I observed though was that, very many graduates who are taking advantage of the internet for marketing and knowledge/information sharing were not trained in line with this. They use it better in some cases than those who were trained to use it.

A majority of accounting graduates end up blogging on topics such as phones and electronics. Banking and Finance graduates are reporting local and international news from the corners of their rooms. And with this, making millions in cash yearly.

What I want you to pay attention to here is, what if these people were trained from schools for this work? They would possibly be the best of the best.

This is why I recommend going for courses that can get you set for internet marketing, SEO, news reporting, and the likes. Hence, Mass Communication, Education Management, Marketing, Computer Science, Journalism, Religious Studies, Library and Information Science, Guardian, and Counseling are a few less competitive but prospective courses if you plan to sell information using the power of the net in the future.

Conclusion
Every decision boils down to your choice. When in the state of doubt, trust your heart. This work is a product of my personal encounters and shared experiences of others.

Don’t join the league of people who are proud of their courses because of the names and popularity. It’s important to have the end in mind from the very start.

While selecting your next course, think about employment and self-employment. Go and out for it and welcome to the winners' world.

Profile codes: UTME candidates will get refund for unsuccessful requests – JAMB

Candidates who could not generate profile codes to register for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) because of poor or network failure from telecommunication service providers will get a refund, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has said.

The board said this doesn’t apply to candidates who entered the wrong code while trying to generate their profile codes for registration.

There had been outcry from parents of applicants for this year’s UTME because they could not create their profile codes despite being charged for the service.

Each Short Message Service (SMS) costs N50 for request made by UTME applicants on the major telecoms service providers.
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Registrar of JAMB, Prof Is – haq Oloyede, after a meeting with stakeholders on Monday at the headquarters of the board in Bwari, said the service providers and JAMB agreed on refund to candidates who couldn’t access the service by telcos.

He lamented that parents were being extorted by telecoms service providers by sending request unsuccessfully to the telcos.
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The registrar said the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPP) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have been drafted in to monitor compliance with the agreement to refund the candidates their money.

He said: “All those concerned will have to go back and ensure that when a service is not fully rendered and if there had been any charge that had been made this should be refunded to the candidates.

“We have reached this agreement with Digital Pulse that we will work with the service providers to make sure that the service providers refund where they have taken money from candidates.

“I have a parent who said she sent the message (to create a profile) 500 times; the message was not going, the service was not delivered and N50 was being deducted. This is the general outcry from across the country and that is one of the reasons we called this meeting.

“And the first thing is that any such money be refunded but because JAMB do not have the capacity to know whether this is refunded or not; we are not in position to know whether the money has been refunded or not.

“We then decided that we are going to expand the stakeholders – that our stakeholders should include Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

“We will immediately invite them to join this task force of ours on this registration and examination so that any act of extortion they have the capacity to deal with any stakeholder that decides to extort candidates. The second one is to invite NCC.

“NCC is the regulatory body for all these telcos. Even if they give us assurance and it is not followed, we do not have the capacity to enforce. That is why we believe the NCC that has the statutory responsibility to enforce should also be brought in as part of our stakeholders.”

The registrar said by Friday, candidates will have the option of using the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data to generate their profile codes to them register for the examinations.

He also said even if candidates enter the wrong codes, it will be accepted after Friday this week.

“The resolution we adopted at the meeting is that the service providers should go back; between now and Friday, make the system accept such errors. Anytime from Friday even if they make the error it will go.

“These common errors – from Friday, even if candidates make them, be system will accommodate them and it will go,” he added.

JAMB registers over 300,000 for UTME, 8,000 for DE

The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), has so far registered more than 300,000 candidates for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

According to the board’s weekly bulletin obtained from the board’s website by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday, JAMB has also registered more than 8,000 Direct Entry (DE) candidates.

“Total profile code generated so far is 497,528.

“Total UTME pin vended is 344, 115, while total pin vended for DE is 10, 848. Total registered candidates for UTME, 316, 132, and total registered candidates for DE is 8, 490.

“Total candidates who have indicated an interest in sitting for the mock UTME are 126, 402,’’ it said.

According to the bulletin, candidates can send their National Identity Number (NIN) from any SIM of their choice provided the SIM has not been used by another candidate to register for UTME/DE in the past.

JAMB said that this was contrary to its earlier statement that only the SIM that was linked to a candidate’s NIN could be used to send their NIN to 55019.

NAN reports that the board had on Sunday said that candidates could only generate their profiles by sending their details to 55019 on the SIM linked to their NIN.

It, however, advised them to follow the right process to be successfully registered.
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“The right process is to send the word `NIN’, allow one space in between, and then insert the eleven digits NIN number and send it to 55019.

"Any other process is wrong and would not generate the profile code for the candidate.’’

Also the mock UTME earlier scheduled to hold on April 30, is now to take place on May 20, while the examination will take place from June 5 to June 19.

Registration for UTME/DE which began on April 8, will end on May 15.