By Daily Trust
- Hijabs are allowed during registration; adjust to show ears for facial recognition, like passport photos. (12 words)
- Viral video misleading: the student signed the opt-out form and completed registration successfully. (9 words)
- UTME ends Feb 28; JAMB promotes fairness and religious respect—check facts. (11 words)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that students do not have to take off their hijabs when registering for exams.
This comes after a video went viral online showing a girl at Afe Babalola University in Ekiti State. In the clip, a man said his sister was asked to remove her hijab before her photo was taken and to sign a paper. He asked, “Are Muslims being treated unfairly for wearing hijabs?”
JAMB quickly responded and explained that the video was misleading. The board said the rule about showing ears is only for technical reasons. Students need their ears visible so the computer can correctly recognise their faces—just like taking a passport or visa photo.
The board made it clear: students do not need to take off their hijabs. They can adjust their hijab so their ears can be seen while keeping it on.
About the paper the student signed, JAMB said she was just confirming that she chose not to follow the ear visibility guideline. This was to make sure the records were accurate. In the end, her registration was successfully completed.
JAMB also reminded students that registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination closes on February 28. Direct Entry registration will run from March 2 to April 25. Officials promised that everything will be fair and orderly.
The board encouraged everyone to check facts before worrying and assured the public that it respects all religions.