JAMB CANDIDATES BE AWARE 2018 UTME: JAMB Sets New Strategies Against Malpractices

JAMB CANDIDATES BE AWARE 2018 UTME: JAMB Sets New Strategies Against Malpractices

Towards consolidating on the successes recorded in the conduct of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) and addressing some identified challenges, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has vowed not to leave any stone unturned to achieve a seamless exercise in this year’s diet.

This was part of the stakeholders’ meeting, held last week at the National Judicial Institute, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, where the JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede did not only chronicle the sterling successes and challenges recorded in the last year UTME, but also announced the schedule of activities for the 2018 examinations.



The stakeholders’ meeting, which had in attendance Oloyede’s predecessors including Professors Bello Salim and Dibu Ojerinde, was also attended by other major key stakeholders and scholars including the former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji; Senate Chief Whip, Prof. Sola Adeyeye; incumbent and immediate past Vice-Chancellors of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professors Oluwatoyin Ogundipe and Rahamon Bello respectively; former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Shamsudeen Amali; Secretary to the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, Prof. Michael Faborode; President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Waheed Odusile; former Presidential Spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati; former Registrar of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Alhaja Mulikat Bello; President of Women Arise, Mrs. Joe Okei-Odumakin; Chief Ayo Opadokun and Comrade Isa Aremu, among others.



Apart from the board’s healthy relationship with existing partners such as banks, post offices, operators of computer-based test centres, and higher institutions, the examination body said the gathering was aimed at seeking the support and to engage the services of prominent Nigerians including public affairs analysts, media men and women, labour leaders and human rights activists, conscientious youth advocates and leaders of thought, among others, to attract credibility to JAMB examinations.



Oloyede, while setting the tone of the meeting with his presentation, entitled: “Consolidating the Gains, Pushing the Frontiers,” commended the stakeholders for their roles in the past editions of the examination, and sought their continued support in the ongoing war against examination malpractices.



He said: “Stakeholders’ meetings and other forms of engagements have become a most potent strategic platform to share and validate the Board’s vision, solicit and obtain feedbacks and input, ensure buy-in of critical stakeholders and generally exchange information and create awareness.



“This approach, which is being ingrained in all facets of the Board’s activities as we strive to achieve our mandate, is paying great dividends and our 2017 UTME achievements would have been less without the benefits of involve ment of you, our critical stakeholders.”



While listing some of the successes recorded during the 2017 examination, the Registrar noted that about N12 billion was generated by JAMB as its internally generated revenue, and that in an unprecedented manner, a total of N8 billion was remitted to the purse of the Federal Government.



According to the JAMB’s helmsman, the conduct of the 2017 examination also provided him the opportunities to learn more about the significance of the information technology tools to the success of any administration, and the importance of mobilising forthright Nigerians as ambassadors to serve as watchdogs.



Apart from N8 billion remittance, Oloyede said the 2017 UTME was significant in many respects, as it “recording the highest number of candidates, even with the registration period being essentially for one month; introduction of optional Mock Examination for candidates; introduction of 8-Key keyboard to minimize the challenge of use of mouse for candidates; expanded and active involvement of stakeholders throughout the exercise; standardisation of CBT Centres; discontinuance of the use of scratch cards and introduction of ePIN obtainable from banks and other partner organisations to procure application documents. Others, according to him, include the introduction of Central (Online) Control Room Monitoring of Examination at the Headquarters, among others.”



However, the JAMB Registrar explained that to aid planning and harmonisation with activities of sister organisations, particularly other examination bodies in the country, JAMB drew up a calendar of activities from the commencement of registration process to the conduct of the mock and main examinations. According to Oloyede, the registration process, which commenced on December 6, 2017, will end by February 6, 2018, adding that the Mock Examination earlier scheduled to hold between January 22 and 24 had been shifted to hold in the first week of February.



The new decision, according to JAMB, is not unconnected with the ongoing industrial action by the nonacademic workers across the nation’s universities. The main examinations, JAMB pointed out, would now hold between March 9 and 17.



On the effects of the strike on the conduct of the UTME, Oloyede noted that most CBT centres located on the universities’ campuses would not be available for the examination until the strike is called off.



He, therefore, called on the concerned parties in the ongoing strike in the university system to resolve the issues without further delay, especially for the sake of the future of innocent children.



He also added that the development is affecting the completion of the ongoing 2017/2018 admission processes, saying as soon as the strike is called off, the affected institutions would be given a grace of one week to conclude the whole process.



Meanwhile, Oloyede decried the poor response of prospective candi-dates in the last one month the registration has commenced, saying waiting for the lastminute rush may have rendered the twomonth registration window period useless.



He explained that less than one month to the February 6 deadline for the sales of forms, only 283,319 candidates had so far registered out of about 2 million candidates expected to register this year for the examination.







He said: “We must thank everyone for contributing significantly to the success of the 2017 examinations and we anticipate your support this year again. However, I must let you know that as at this date, only 283,319 candidates have been registered more than one month after we commenced registration.



This development has further confirmed our position that only one month is enough for registration because I can tell you that between now and February 6, we would not have less than 1.6 million candidates to register.” Meanwhile, the stakeholders advised the examination body to create first aid boxes and emergency response units at the CBT centres, saying many candidates during the last examinations had either fallen into labour or developed one ailment or the other at the examination centres.



But, in his response, while Oloyede agreed to provide emergency response services, he advised pregnant candidates, who might be due for delivery during the examinations to steer clear of the centres, saying no examination could be more important than save delivery of their babies.



According to Oloyede, about seven candidates had fallen into labour during the 2018 edition examinations, saying that calling for rescheduling of examinations for the affected candidates is a request that may not be granted. In his reactions, the Senate Chief Whip, Adeyeye, commended JAMB for the foresight and for rewriting the history of the conduct of examination in the country, and noted that until the reward system is reordered and the people’s craze for certificates is addressed, there would continue to be malpractices in the examination system.



He also suggested the abolition of the polytechnic and colleges of education programmes, describing them as legacies of colonialism, which he noted are no longer in use in the home countries of the colonial masters. Adeyeye said: “There is no serious future for a society that makes the weakest its teachers.



“During admission processes, the ‘best students’ go to the universities, second best students go to the polytechnics while ‘others’ go to colleges of education, and such students are expected to be teachers and teach best students. “I have my private fears. I don’t believe God will solve Nigeria’s problem, we are to make it work. If you want to see the future of any society, visit their schools.”



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