Abuja: An aggrieved widow, Dr. Jane Uche, has called upon the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to address the issue of SIM loss, which is preventing her children from registering for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Uche made this appeal during a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Uche has urged JAMB to implement measures to assist children of deceased parents who face similar challenges. She explained that her late husband had used his phone number to generate profile codes for their children in previous UTME registrations. After his passing, she was unable to retrieve the SIM card, leaving her children unable to register for future exams.
Uche shared her experience, highlighting that her children, aged 20, 18, and 16, have not gained admission to any higher institution since their father’s death. She expressed concern that her eldest child’s peers are nearing graduation, while her own children remain at home due to registration hurdles.
She emphasized the need for JAMB to consider provisions for children in such situations, as the current requirement mandates the use of the same SIM card used in previous registrations to generate profile codes for subsequent exams. Without the SIM card, her children are unable to sit for JAMB, putting their education on hold.
Uche also mentioned that many candidates are experiencing similar issues and urged the authorities to introduce a system that allows for SIM retrieval through SIM swaps, lost SIM recovery, or change of SIM. Despite her efforts to seek solutions by visiting JAMB offices, she was informed that there is no provision for SIM swaps.
JAMB’s Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, acknowledged the unfortunate situation but stated that the board could not assist unless the SIM is retrieved from the network provider. He highlighted that the board has warned the public about the risks of losing SIM cards and that a SIM swap option remains unavailable.
JAMB’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle announced a new feature at Computer-Based Test (CBT) centers to address SIM loss cases. However, the SIM swap feature is still not available. The board clarified that while the new feature addresses the issue of lost SIM cards, the SIM swap service, which would allow for SIM replacement for JAMB registration, is not yet available.
This development is part of JAMB’s efforts to streamline the registration process and ensure candidates are not disadvantaged due to technical issues with their SIM cards.