Baptist Convention Tackles Oloyede Over JAMB Fee Hike Claims

The Nigeria Baptist Convention, on Saturday, criticised the
Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof
Is-haq Oloyede, for confronting pupils and a teacher of the Baptist
Girls Academy in Lagos State over alleged overcharging of JAMB
fees, as seen in a video widely circulated online.

The NBC, in a statement by its Chairman, Education Management
Board, Prof Oyesoji Aremu, titled ‘JAMB Fee: Prof. Oloyede’s Media
Trial of Baptist Girls Academy,’ described the encounter, captured
during a tour of a registration centre in Lagos, as “disheartening
and disturbing.”

At the tour, which occurred on April 28, Oloyede is seen
questioning the supervising teacher and his pupils on the cost of
the JAMB registration. Asked by the JAMB registrar to provide
information on their JAMB registration fees, the pupils claimed to
pay N8,000 each, while the teacher insisted that it is actually
N4,700.

But Aremu argued that the question of the alleged N8,000
collected by pupils ought to have been properly investigated by the
JAMB registrar before subjecting the school and the teacher, who
took the girls out for registration, to “emotional trial and public
opprobrium.”

He said, “In the video clip, Prof. Oloyede assumed the role of a
‘prosecutor and judge’ against the defenceless teacher, Mr Kayode
Oloyede, who was also on a scheduled assignment. Here, one of Mr
Oloyede’s students was the witness.

“In the video clip, the JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede,
publicly put on ‘trial’ Mr Oloyede, a teacher at Baptist Girls
Academy. This put some questions on the social image of the
teacher, and on the public image of Baptist mission schools in
Nigeria.”

According to the convention, the breakdown of the charges
included JAMB registration (N3,500); novel, which he said was
recommended and provided by JAMB (N500); Computer-Based Test
charges (N700), Test Driller software and installation – CBT
practice kit (N2,000); and transportation and feeding (N1,300).

He noted that the fee was charged with the consent of the
parents through the Parents Teachers’ Association platform, adding
that the academy was a private school not funded by the
government.

“Beyond what Prof Oloyede made the public to believe by singling
out one of the Baptist mission schools, it is in the public domain
that other private schools in Nigeria charged fees that ranged
between N10,000 and N25,000 (depending on services that will be
provided during the examinations for the student),” he added.

But JAMB, responding in a statement by its Head, Public Affairs
and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, explained that Oloyede had held a
press conference during a scheduled inspection of the ongoing 2021
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration exercise in
the South-West.

He added that the JAMB registrar then proceeded to a
board-approved UTME registration centre to assess the registration
there, where a journalist asked why some centres and perhaps
schools were charging higher fees than the prescribed fee by the
board.

The statement read, “On the collection of higher fees above the
prescribed fee, the registrar said he was not aware of any
large-scale extortion going on anywhere other than the exception of
some elite secondary schools that are in the habit of
illegitimately collecting money in the name of the board.

“While the interview was ongoing, the journalists spotted a
group of students and drew the attention of the registrar to them,
insinuating that they could be among those involved in group
registration. Consequently, the registrar invited them to come and
meet him.”

According to Benjamin, the registrar, knowing there are
administrative channels for addressing such “abnormalities,” asked
the “most senior journalist” to consider the encounter an
off-the-record incident and that he was given that assurance by all
the reporters through their senior colleague.

“The board would want to dissuade the public from
misinterpreting this happenstance. It should be noted that the
board had, on some occasions, had cause to also sanction
faith-based schools located in the northern part of the country
with no eyebrows raised from any quarter.

“The board wishes to reiterate that it has always been its core
policy to sanction any school that collects a dime above the
approved UTME fee, particularly when such exercises are linked to
the board’s hard-earned name and integrity. It does so without any
fear or favour of any religious or ethnic group,” it said.

The Nigeria Baptist Convention, on Saturday, criticised the
Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof
Is-haq Oloyede, for confronting pupils and a teacher of the Baptist
Girls Academy in Lagos State over alleged overcharging of JAMB
fees, as seen in a video widely circulated online.

The NBC, in a statement by its Chairman, Education Management
Board, Prof Oyesoji Aremu, titled ‘JAMB Fee: Prof. Oloyede’s Media
Trial of Baptist Girls Academy,’ described the encounter, captured
during a tour of a registration centre in Lagos, as “disheartening
and disturbing.”

At the tour, which occurred on April 28, Oloyede is seen
questioning the supervising teacher and his pupils on the cost of
the JAMB registration. Asked by the JAMB registrar to provide
information on their JAMB registration fees, the pupils claimed to
pay N8,000 each, while the teacher insisted that it is actually
N4,700.

But Aremu argued that the question of the alleged N8,000
collected by pupils ought to have been properly investigated by the
JAMB registrar before subjecting the school and the teacher, who
took the girls out for registration, to “emotional trial and public
opprobrium.”

He said, “In the video clip, Prof. Oloyede assumed the role of a
‘prosecutor and judge’ against the defenceless teacher, Mr Kayode
Oloyede, who was also on a scheduled assignment. Here, one of Mr
Oloyede’s students was the witness.

“In the video clip, the JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede,
publicly put on ‘trial’ Mr Oloyede, a teacher at Baptist Girls
Academy. This put some questions on the social image of the
teacher, and on the public image of Baptist mission schools in
Nigeria.”

According to the convention, the breakdown of the charges
included JAMB registration (N3,500); novel, which he said was
recommended and provided by JAMB (N500); Computer-Based Test
charges (N700), Test Driller software and installation – CBT
practice kit (N2,000); and transportation and feeding (N1,300).

He noted that the fee was charged with the consent of the
parents through the Parents Teachers’ Association platform, adding
that the academy was a private school not funded by the
government.

“Beyond what Prof Oloyede made the public to believe by singling
out one of the Baptist mission schools, it is in the public domain
that other private schools in Nigeria charged fees that ranged
between N10,000 and N25,000 (depending on services that will be
provided during the examinations for the student),” he added.

But JAMB, responding in a statement by its Head, Public Affairs
and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, explained that Oloyede had held a
press conference during a scheduled inspection of the ongoing 2021
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination registration exercise in
the South-West.

He added that the JAMB registrar then proceeded to a
board-approved UTME registration centre to assess the registration
there, where a journalist asked why some centres and perhaps
schools were charging higher fees than the prescribed fee by the
board.

The statement read, “On the collection of higher fees above the
prescribed fee, the registrar said he was not aware of any
large-scale extortion going on anywhere other than the exception of
some elite secondary schools that are in the habit of
illegitimately collecting money in the name of the board.

“While the interview was ongoing, the journalists spotted a
group of students and drew the attention of the registrar to them,
insinuating that they could be among those involved in group
registration. Consequently, the registrar invited them to come and
meet him.”

According to Benjamin, the registrar, knowing there are
administrative channels for addressing such “abnormalities,” asked
the “most senior journalist” to consider the encounter an
off-the-record incident and that he was given that assurance by all
the reporters through their senior colleague.

“The board would want to dissuade the public from
misinterpreting this happenstance. It should be noted that the
board had, on some occasions, had cause to also sanction
faith-based schools located in the northern part of the country
with no eyebrows raised from any quarter.

“The board wishes to reiterate that it has always been its core
policy to sanction any school that collects a dime above the
approved UTME fee, particularly when such exercises are linked to
the board’s hard-earned name and integrity. It does so without any
fear or favour of any religious or ethnic group,” it said.