Anambra State Government has handed over 19-year-old candidate of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Miss Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma to a psychotherapist for a 3-months Guidance and Counseling coaching.
The State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Theresa Chuma-Udeh, announced this during a media chat with journalists in her office in Awka, Anambra State Capital.
Recall that Mmesoma was found to have forged her UTME result to curry favour from unsuspecting citizens who showered her with cash gifts.
Prof. Chuma-Udeh, said Ms Mmesoma, will undergo a therapy class for three months as recommended by the panel set up by the State Government that looked into the controversy that surrounded her JAMB result.
She said that the panel, after finding Mmesoma guilty of the crime, recommended that “she (Mmesoma), should undergo a psychological counselling and therapy”.
Chuma-Udeh noted that the psychotherapist will engage her with a range of learning experiences that include group work, case studies, problem-solving exercises, enquiry based, and experiential learning, as well as the more traditional lecture based approach.
“She will also be encouraged to participate in student peer mentoring programme with the opportunity to act as a mentor for other students,” she said.
According to the Commissioner, “the psychological cleansing commenced last week and is going to be twice a week for three months.
“We considered what Mmesoma did as ‘juvenile delinquency’ in which any child could fall a victim of. So we are not going to throw the baby away with the bath water. She is now under a psychotherapist counselor who will take her on therapy for three months after which the state government will appeal to JAMB management on behalf of her to reconsider one or two things.”
The Commissioner commended the State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo for approving the psychotherapy class for Ms Mmesoma.
Mmesoma, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, had claimed she scored 362 marks as against the 249 marks her JAMB records of 2023 UTME showed.”
However, the 19-year-old reportedly confessed her involvement in the alleged manipulation of her UTME result, following an interface with a committee set up by the Anambra State Government to investigate the incident.
The committee, in its submission, found her guilty of forging her JAMB result, using her phone.
In Mmesoma’s submission before the committee, she owned up in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired.
She also admitted to have given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using same phone Airtel Number.”
According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafe (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.
She had also appeared before the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Allegations of Manipulation of her UTME result, on Wednesday in Abuja, where she publicly admitted her involvement and tendered a written apology before the committee, saying “I’m sorry”.
She had again tendered a profound apology to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and the board’s Registrar, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, for pardoned.
