The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that candidates and visitors below the age of 18 years are not required to present COVID-19 vaccination cards before writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)
Spokesman for the board, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said in a statement that those required to provide vaccination cards are persons covered under the NCDC vaccination policy.
He said the clarification became necessary because it “discovered that many underage candidates were making frantic efforts to get vaccinated with some even falsifying their age to be vaccinated just to access services at the Board’s facilities.”
However, he said JAMB would require evidence of being underage to allow any underage individual access to its facilities.
“All candidates, clients, and other members of the public below the age of 18 years are not required to produce any vaccination card before being allowed access to our facilities. This category of persons is not covered by the NCDC vaccination policy.
“It is to be noted that the policy, as announced by the Board, is in tandem with the NCDC policy of no vaccination, no access to public places as well as ensuring that only persons eligible for vaccination are vaccinated and issued the card.
“Meanwhile, in view of likely abuse by individuals, the Board would also require evidence of being underage to allow any underage individual access to its facilities.
“This directive is to protect the public as well as the staff of the Board from the ravaging virus and would want all and sundry to play their own part in this battle of ensuring that we have a healthy and productive population.”
Recall that the board had announced a policy of no vaccination card, no entry into any of its facilities nationwide but discovered that many underage candidates were making frantic efforts to get vaccinated with some even falsifying their age to be vaccinated just to access services at the Board’s facilities.
