The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has cautioned parents against enrolling minors for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.
The Board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede issued the caution in reaction to a suit filed by one Mrs. Ifeanyi Eke, against the Board, over alleged inappropriate text messages sent to her 15-year-old daughter during the course of her registration.
Earlier, Mrs. Eke filed a N100m suit against JAMB and three others before the Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged unsolicited and inappropriate text messages sent to her 15-year-old daughter.
Reacting to the suit in an interview on Tuesday, Prof. Oloyede stated willingness to address the issue with the woman and clarifying that the sender of the messages were not affiliated to Jamb.
According to oloyede, JAMB promptly reported the issue to the security agencies to take appropriate action care, but that didn’t deter the woman from going ahead to sue JAMB for N100 million.
He said, “The person is not our staff, he is not even a staff of the centre, he is a co-student. He is just like a candidate, an undergraduate in one of the Universities.
“And talking about our data, nobody has access to our data. The person got the information from the phone of the underage girl.
“How was your girl of 15 years ready for University now? If she is law abiding as she claimed. The law today is that you must spend six years before primary school, six years in primary school and six years in secondary school. By that time, you are 18.
“But when you reduce three years, you must have cut corners to make a 15-year-old child ready for university education.
“We will meet her in court, it is for the court to decide whether she deserves that money.”
The Registrar maintained that the individual obtained the victim’s contact information during a registration process at the center, adding that corrective actions have been taken against the center for its role in the incident.
“The centers do not have access to our database. The unauthorized data collection was due to a breach during the registration interaction at the center,” Oloyede clarified.
However, he warned parents to desist from enrolling underage children for UTME.
“We have addressed the center’s negligence issue and maintain our stance that parents should ensure their children are of appropriate age before UTME registration,” he advised.
“Any center allowing parent intrusion during candidate screenings will face repercussions including removal from our centers list.
“Parents should not jeopardize their children’s future due to emotional impulses and lack of discipline,” he concluded.
