Residents of Ilorin in Kwara have commended the management of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for its decision to replace scratch cards with PIN.

Some of them who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said it would save parents and guardians the cost of purchasing scratch cards.

A parent, Mr Sunkanmi Sunday said the money that would have been spent on the cards would be channelled towards other things.

“The replacement of scratch cards with PIN is very timely, especially with this recession, it will save us some costs.

“We will even be able to use the money for other things, so it is a good decision,’’ Sunday said.

An admission seeker, Fatimah Bakare said it was better especially for candidates that would not pass at the end of the day.

“It is a good one because if one ends up not passing the examination afterwards, the money that could have been wasted will be minimal.

“So, it is just as if JAMB is helping us to reduce the burden on our parents a little,’’ Bakare said.

Another respondent, Augusta Okoye said the decision was a relief to parents, especially those that have more than one child seeking for admission into tertiary institutions.

“I have lost count of the amount I have spent on recharge cards for my children apart from the money used in obtaining the form.

“There was a year that I gave three of them money for that purpose, but unfortunately, only one of them passed.

“I almost developed hypertension each time my children mention it to me that it is time to give them money for scratch cards.

“Personally, I will like to thank whoever made decision because parents will no longer be looking for money for cards when feeding has become a problem for virtually every household," Okoye said.

NAN recalls that JAMB had announced the adoption of PIN vending for the 2017 examination over the regular scratch card and advised prospective candidates to get familiar with the new approach.