JAMB plans to introduce life skills, critical thinking into UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is contemplating the inclusion of life skills and critical thinking in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). This proposal aims to enhance the assessment of candidates applying for admission into tertiary institutions by evaluating their abilities beyond their knowledge of academic subjects.

JAMB's Registrar, Prof. Segun Aina, revealed this during a segment on NTA's Good Morning Nigeria programme. Aina clarified that the UTME minimum entry score does not necessarily reflect a candidate's knowledge but serves to rank them in comparison to their peers. He emphasized that the minimum entry score is influenced by the overall performance of candidates in each examination cycle.

Regarding the proposed reforms, Aina stated that JAMB is exploring methods to integrate life skills and critical thinking into the UTME to better align its assessment with the requirements of higher education. This initiative is part of a wider review of the examination framework, with a committee of education stakeholders and experts responsible for developing recommendations on how to assess these competencies.

The committee is also investigating whether these skills should be presented as distinct sections or integrated into the current UTME subjects.