The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, in Nigeria, Professor Ishaq Oloyode has appealed to parents to remain calm saying that any candidate who experiences glitches in the ongoing 2024 Universal Tertiary Matriculation Exam will not miss out on the entire process.
He stated this while inspecting the ongoing Exam at the Kogo Computer Base Test, CBT, Center in Bwari Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria. He said any candidate with challenges will be rescheduled after the last session of the day or to next day.
“We appeal to the public to understand this, some centres will fail. I have heard of only one centre that has failed today across the country.
“By the end of today, I expect about 10 percent of the over 700 centres to have one problem or the other because we know the level of development in different parts of the country.
“We are not encouraging this, but when it happens, please do not disrupt others.
“It is important to note that when a session fails because of a problem, you cannot bring those candidates to do session two, they will have to step aside, and the headquarters will have to be contacted and they will be rescheduled for the fourth session around 4:30 pm, even to the next day'” he said.
He said JAMB has upgraded its technical capabilities than ever before to handle technical challenges including issues of examination practice.
He said almost all those involved in fraudulent activities surrounding JAMB have been rounded off by security operatives
“Today’s examination is very important to us because we have done so much engineering that we have been trying to do in the last seven years, and we are only successful about it today for the first time.
“Those who are fraudsters, who are doing all sorts of things, know they are in trouble because for the first time, we can do certain things that we have been aspiring to do.
Most of the fraudsters creating fake Websites have been arrested by security operatives, this I can assure you,” he said.
He commented on parents for obeying the restriction order at the examination centre nationwide, while insisting that any parent found wanting would be arrested and the child delisted from continuing with the exam.
He took a swipe at companies that are quick to award scholarships to candidates with high scores in JAMB saying that the high score is not the only criterion for gaining admission into Tertiary institutions.
“There are other criteria like the O’ level result and the post UMTE among others. So companies like MTN and others should not rush to give scholarships to candidates without considering the other factors,” he said.
One of the Roving monitors of the Exam, Engineer, Jimoh Folarin said the exam started on time at 8:00 am and the “technical aspect of the exam is commendable as candidates are not complaining at the Kogo CBT Center among others he has visited”
The Exam body started accreditation of candidates by 6:30 am for the exam scheduled for 8:00 am
One of the candidates Ruth Umar Adejo after finishing the examination commended the the whole process.
“There was no problem during the screening when I started, there was no problem with the computer. The time allocated for the papers was enough. I commend JAMB,” she said.
One of the parents, Hadiza Ibrahim spotted dropping her daughter and instantly driving away said the “restriction order is commendable as it will not allow for security breaches by bandits”.
The exam which commenced nationwide on the 19th of April 2024 will end on the 29th of April, 2024.
Dominica Nwabufo
