he Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government’s directive to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)to enforce the stipulated minimum age requirement of 18 years for entry into tertiary institutions.
According to the NIPR, this was the right way to go and urged the Board to vigorously enforce it as is a policy which had been in the statute books all this while.
The President and Chairman of Council, NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, stated this in his remarks on Tuesday, 6th August, 2024, when he led a 15-man delegation on a courtesy visit to the Board’s National Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja. He pointed out that the policy, which was tailored along the line of existing policies stipulated 18 years, which, he noted, was the ideal age to begin university as it allows for a more customised and rewarding learning experience while enabling new entrants to come of age towards equipping them to confront emerging challenges that could either make or mar their career development.
“Please pursue this policy, we know some parents are after you and criticising it. Even if they make First-class, they make it in emptiness.They are not mature. We want to reaffirm that the 6-3-3-4 is the way to go. You are helping us to groom mature graduates, ” he said.
The NIPR Chairman also unveiled the Institute’s plan to establish a Public Relations University to cater for gaps in leadership communication and equip aspiring and seasoned professionals with the necessary skills for effective reputation building and management.
The NIPR chairman commended the JAMB Registrar, Prof. ls-haq Oloyede, for the uncommon achievements he had recorded in JAMB and his modest contributions to the development of the education sector in general.
Furthermore, Dr. Neliaku described Oloyede as a “man of vision and impeccable character, who is passionate about improving the fortunes of the education sector and doing the right things at all times.”
He said JAMB has maintained a standard of compliance in professionalism in the areas of utilising public relations personnel and advised that all public relations practitioners must be licensed as anyone caught practising without being licensed has contravened the provisions of the law.
Other areas of partnership with the Board as noted by the Institute include signposting the Board as one of the six federal organisations it had earmarked to conduct its organization perception survey, among others.
In his remarks, the Registrar said the NIPR had done exceedingly well over the years and promised to render necessary support towards the actualisation of the proposed university and other laudable initiatives of the Institute.
The Registrar also used the occasion to enlighten the Institute on the choice of institutions made by candidates while filling their application documents, saying the Board does not impose institutions, programmes or venue of examination as these are the prerogatives of the candidates.
He lamented the low enrollment and apathy into some programmes such as education and agricultural sciences, saying no nation can develop without quality teachers, “We are not filling 30% of the available spaces in colleges of education, the spaces are there but nobody is willing to go there.”
The NIPR is a professional body for all qualified public relations practitioners in Nigeria established to promote and develop the practice of public relations.
