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Tag: JAMB

  • Police recruitment : Candidates to undergo drug test, JAMB to conduct aptitude test

    Candidates who would be recruited into the Police Force will undergo drug, psychological and other test.

    The screening process which would lead to the selection of the best 6000 out of over 133,000 applicants shortlisted will commence nationwide on Monday.

    To ensure smooth process of the exercise, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris has warned Commissioners of Police and other senior officers with various roles during the screening to be thorough and ensure that the exercise is devoid of corrupt practices.

    The warning is contained in a statement in Abuja on Saturday by the Force Spokesman, ACP Jimoh Moshood.

    It reads: “The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Training and Development, DIG Emmanuel Inyang has addressed Commissioners of Police and other Senior Officers nominated to serve as Heads of Police Recruitment Screening Committee in the 37 Commands of the Federation and warned them to be thorough and above board and ensure that the screening exercise which will commence with effect from Monday 7th May, 2018 is smooth, hitch free and devoid of any form of corrupt practice.”

    The Police Chief warned officers that will be participating in the screening exercise to remain impartial and ensure transparency.

    On the various tests that the candidates would undergo, Moshood said: “Medical examination will be conducted for each candidate in the following areas before final selection; Visual assessment which covers far and near visual acuity, binocular vision, colour vision, visual field testing and pathology.

    “General medical test which covers blood pressure, sugar, body mass index, hepatitis b and c, HIV screening, Tuberculosis, antigen in serum  and pregnancy test (for women only).

    “Psychological evolution of the candidates which covers psychological interview, personality and integrity as well as drug screening.”

    The Police also said successful candidates after the physical screening, would undergo written aptitude test which would be conducted by Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

    The police explained that they decided to engage the service of JAMB so as to ensure transparency and also get the best out of the candidates.

    The Pokice chief also directed that the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Training and Development should embark on monitoring and assessment of the exercise throughout the 36 States and the FCT to ensure that the exercise is carried out in line with best practices.

     

    The Police while advising candidates to be of good conduct throughout the exercise added that candidates and members of the general public with information on any improper practice should call the  following phone numbers: 08076036011, 08037036257, 08034360919, 08037855951, 08065823054, and  08036753589.

  • JAMB increases Nasarawa varsity’s admission quota

    The Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Mohammed Akaro-Mainoma, said on Friday the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has increased the university’s admission quota from 4,000 to 5,000 students.

    Akaro-Mainoma stated this Keffi when members of the state’s House of Assembly Committee on Education, Science and Technology paid an oversight visit to the institution.

    The vice-chancellor, who was represented by the Registrar of the institution, Alhaji Bala Ahmed, lauded JAMB for the gesture.

    He added that the move would address admission gap in the university.

    He commended the Assembly for its continued support to the institution and promised to continue to initiate good policies and programmes for lecturers and students of the institution.

    He said: “We are maintaining the act establishing the university that said that 80 per cent of every admission to the institution should be given to indigenes while 20 per cent should be for non-indigenes.”

    NAN

     

  • Problems with JAMB’s admission process

    Following the appointment of new Registrar to take charge of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the board introduced a new portal, Central Admission Processing System (CAPS) in order to regulate and eradicate influence and compromise in the admission processes, and to improve efficiency of the system.

    Unfortunately, the champion of this new software has never introduced any laudable measures to regulate the admission process.

    It will be ideal to hit the nail on the head. The slothfulness of this software has delayed many applicants and made some of them to lose hope of being admitted. Many applicants have lost hope of getting admission into their preferred tertiary institutions (universities) across the country, which has prompted them to put in for other programmes, such as National Diploma (ND) and National Certificate in Education (NCE). Some others had to register for another Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) before they were offered late admission into their schools of choice.

    Many federal universities have commenced new academic calendars since December, which presumed that every student, including the newly admitted, would have resumed by then. But the sluggishness of this software delayed the admission process which disorganised academic calendar of some universities and some applicants were offered late admission. This shoddiness is enough to conclude that CAPS has brought more pains than comfort to admission seekers.

    Examining the purpose for this software, the current JAMB admission policy is any different from previous policies, only that CAPS was introduced. So far, the concept of “catchment area” has not been eradicated from the admission policy. The policy is still open to manipulation and misconduct in the process of implementing “catchment area” clause.

    If names of the admitted applicants would be selected by the universities themselves, how then would the JAMB know if there is no human influence?

    Students who scored above 200 and 180 in their UTME are qualified to be admitted into the university but the chance of former is brighter than the latter. But, applicants with low UTME scores got admitted in the last UTME more than their peers that scored higher marks, which means the software cannot detect if there is manipulation in the process.

    Apart from the above shortcomings, some students were given admission by the institution in which the course they were given was not the same with the one they chose while filling JAMB forms. For instance, a student was offered Pharmacy by the institution and what later appeared on his JAMB profile was Forestry. Some were admitted into two federal universities simultaneously. Is there any justification for this? The question demands answer from relevant stakeholders.

    To be able to solve the problems, it is therefore essential for JAMB to liaise with tertiary institutions to find a lasting solution to the identified problems and re-organise the admission policy so as to standardise our education.

     

    Nurudeen, 200-Level Mathematics, UDU Sokoto

  • JAMB concludes UTME in eight countries

    THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has recorded a huge success in the conduct of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) in eight countries.

    The countries include United Kingdom (UK), Cameroon, Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa.

    The board’s Head of Media and Information Department, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.

    According to him, no fewer than 297 foreign candidates participated in the 2018 UTME in the countries conducted on Saturday, under the supervision of some foreign nationals, who came to understudy the process.

    Benjamin said the foreigners were elated by what they saw  that an African country could achieve and sustain such a feat.

    He said: “The examination was conducted yesterday in not less than eight foreign countries under the watch of some foreign nationals.

    “As usual, it was well attended and very successful. All resources to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination were readily deployed by the board.

    “We are indeed happy to have achieved yet another feat, especially as we had people who came around to observe and understudy the process.

    “They were happy as well as impressed with what they saw on ground. We know it can only be better because we have the capacity and all it takes to move this country to the next level.”

    Benjamin added: “Again, we are not just conducting the examination in these countries because of the number of candidates that indicate interest but because we also want to showcase Nigeria’s giant strides in technological advancement on the global scene.”

    The board has, however, distanced itself from a purported cutoff mark being circulated in some sections of the media, saying it did not emanate from it.

    Benjamin said no such cutoff mark, whether for programmes or institutions had been released by JAMB as was being speculated.

    “We want to seize this medium to debunk such rumours as they are malicious and wicked as they are designed to defraud innocent Nigerians, especially parents and guardians as well as other stakeholders.

    “No cutoff marks will ever be decided upon without the usual policy meeting which has been scheduled to hold sometime in June and which is to be chaired by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu.

    “Until that is done, every other thing that is being paraded as cutoff mark is fictitious and therefore, the public is hereby warned not to fall prey to these fraudsters,” Benjamin warned.

    He said as a board, the management would continue to uphold standards and due process to protect the integrity of its examinations and process.

     

     

  • Parents’ collusion in exam malpractices worries JAMB

    THE collusion of parents in examination malpractices remained a major challenge to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), its registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said yesterday.

    Oloyede spoke when members of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), led by its chairman, Prof. Itse Sagay, visited the JAMB headquarters in Abuja.

    According to him, most parents have gone haywire in their various activities of making sure their children pass the examination at all cost.

    The registrar expressed his displeasure on how parents also paid huge amount of money into fraudulent account to pass their wards.

    He said the Act establishing the board stipulated that parents are not allowed into the examination hall but they (parents) arrange with mercenaries to write the examination for the kids.

    The registrar said: “A candidate was caught here for impersonation. He agreed he did it and that he was writing for his brother and their mother was aware. When a call was pulled through to the mother, she said she is a prophetess. This is an example, among others.

    “The board will open an account too and any candidates who pay into the account for fraudulent activities will be disqualified from writing the examination.”

    He said no fewer than 1,178,665 candidates scored 100 marks and above in the March 9 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

    He said of the 1,840,225 candidates, who wrote the examination, only 800,000 had the five credits ordinary level (O’ level) minimum requirements.

    He said: “There are 767 tertiary higher institutions in Nigeria and about 560,168 candidates have been admitted. About 20 per cent of the candidates are in SS2, they only took JAMB for trials.”

    Prof. Sagay said there was need for the board to provide a template in advising other agencies on how to combat corruption and fraudulent activities.

    “We are here to learn from you, especially on how you have been able to maintain the credibility of the board and discover fraudulent acts,” he said.

     

  • UTME: 1.1m candidates scored above 100 – JAMB Registrar

    The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said on Wednesday that at least 1, 178,665 candidates scored 100 and above in the March 9 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    Oloyede disclosed this when members of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) led by its Chairman, Prof. Itse Sagay, visited the JAMB headquarters in Abuja.

    He said out of 1,840,225 candidates who wrote the examination, only 800,000 had the five credits ordinary level (O’ level) minimum requirements.

    He said: “There are 767 tertiary higher institutions in Nigeria and about 560,168 candidates have been admitted. About 20 per cent of the candidates are in SS2, they only took JAMB for trials.”

    The JAMB registrar said the collusion of parents in examination malpractices remained a major challenge for the Board.

    This, he said questioned the credibility of the organization.

    According to him, most parents have gone haywire in their desire to ensure their children pass the examination at all cost.

    Oloyede expressed his displeasure on how parents paid huge amount of money into fraudulent account in order to pave way for their wards.

     

  • BudgIT to FG, others: Invest in people

    A civic organization, BudgIT Nigeria, has called on the Federal, State and Local Governments to invest on Nigerians.

    The organization, which is interested in entrenching transparency in government budgets, noted that investing in people would guarantee a safe and sustainable country.

    Team Lead of the organization, Seun Onigbinde stated this in Lagos on Wednesday at an event tagged “Investing in the People of Nigeria.”

    BudgIT, in a statement in Abuja, explained that the event was organized in the context of the presentation made by the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, to the expanded session of the National Economic Council.

    Speakers at the event noted that governments at all levels needed to invest in health, education and other sectors that equalize opportunities for more Nigerians.

    “Participants watched the entire presentation and provided immense feedback on the need for governments to prioritize the welfare of the people,” the statement said.

    Research Associate at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, Adebola Williams, who was also the keynote speaker at the event said it was up to Nigerians to make the human capital investment a sustainable cornerstone of our growth. 

    Also, an experienced Impact Investor, Bisi Ogunwale, lamented the decay in the education sector due to weak investments in the sector.

    Ogunwale said: “About 1.5million people write JAMB every year, while only around 30% of that find their way into the tertiary institutions.”

    A frontline photographer, Fati Abubakar, noted that poor investments in young people in the North East created the current insurgency that had claimed lives and ruined every sector.

    “Radicalization started because we did not invest in our people; it followed from idleness and lack of role models,” Abubakar said.

    While an Oxford-trained scientist, Ify Aniebo, said investing in healthcare in Nigeria must also include investing in health professionals, training and research.

    Also, Head of Research at SBM Intelligence, Cheta Nwanze said: “We need to up our productivity however we can to be able to invest in education to meet our expanding population; do we have the political will?”

    The statement reads: “BudgIT intends to expand the conversation to other cities in Nigeria, curating feedback for the Nigerian government.

    “This is to strengthen the political will and the long-term thinking that ensures that Nigeria invests as its expanding young population.

    The statement added that the event had many young Nigerian citizens engaging on the urgency to harness the expanding population of the country, build a nation that values talent and invest in the social infrastructure of its people.

  • JAMB releases results of 1.5m candidates

    •111,981 results withheld

    THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday released the results of 1.5 million candidates, who sat for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    The board, in a statement by its spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, in Abuja yesterday, said it decided to release the results after considering reports of its supervisors’ CCTV footages during the conduct of the examination.

    He said the results of 112,331 and those of visually-impaired candidates are yet to be released.

    Benjamin added that the board was screening the results of 111,981 candidates, which has been withheld.

    The statement reads: “After viewing all CCTV footages during the conduct of the 2018 UTME and considering reports from our supervisors, monitors and other independent Nigerians, who took interest in promoting the quality of public examination in Nigeria, the JAMB has released the results of 1,502,978 candidates who sat for the 2018 UTME.

    “A total of 1,652,825 candidates had indicated interest in the examination by registering for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    “One hundred and twelve thousand, three hundred and thirty-one candidates’ results are yet to be released out of which 350 are the results of the blind candidates, which would be released soon and 111,981 results withheld for further screening.

    “The figure above excludes foreign candidates, whose examination would be conducted in April.”

     

  • Teenager commits suicide over UTME score

    A university admission-seeker simply identified as Loveth has reportedly committed suicide in Ekiugbo, Ughelli North local government area of Delta State.

    Loveth, who was said to be displeased with the 163 mark she garnered in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), was found dead at her home on Wednesday morning.

    Our correspondent gathered that the deceased picked medicine as her choice of study.

    The Nation gathered that the deceased took three bottles of Sniper and these were found by her side on Wednesday morning.

    According to sources, Loveth had gone to check her UTME result on Tuesday and discovered to her amazement that she had scored far lower than she had expected and would not secure admission to the university to study her “dream course.”

    The 18-year old reportedly left the centre very distraught and wept profusely.

     

     

  • UTME: NSCDC arrests candidate who hid phone in pant

    Operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested one Miss Joy Apkabio and her accomplice, Andrew Etziuala, for alleged involvement in examination malpractice in the ongoing unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME).

    Miss Akpabio was caught using a phone which she carried into the hall in her private parts.

    The Commandant, NSCDC Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, Mr. Patrick Akpan, disclosed this to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday in Company of Spokesperson of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Dr. Fabian Benjamin.

    Mr. Akpan said the suspects were apprehended at Baptist Academy, Karu, a suburb in the outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory.

    The commandant, who revealed that Miss Akpabio concealed the mobile phone in her pant, said she was caught on CCTV cameras while using the phone to cheat.

    Master Etziuala on the other hand, was said to have supplied her answers to the questions through text messages.

    The answers, Dr. Benjamin said, dated back to 1990 JAMB questions and not that of 2018 questions.

    The board had banned the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices from examination centres.

    Mr. Akpan said: “We have in our custody today two suspects that were involved in examination malpractice in the ongoing JAMB UTME. Their level of involvement are as follows, a lady whose name is, went into the exam hall with a telephone handset and this is against the rules covering the JAMB examination.

    “She concealed the telephone set inside her panties and she went in un-detected and while the examination nation was going on, she brought it out.

    “With the use of modern technology; you know the examination centres have CCTV cameras that are sending live transmission of activities that are taking place in the examination hall, and the activities of our men and other JAMB officials who were deployed to the centres, we were able to detect what she was doing and she was immediately arrested.

    “Upon interrogation, we were also able to arrest her accomplice who is another young man by the name Andrew who introduced her into the business and was equally involved in sending text messages of supposedly answers to the examination she was doing.

    “They are in our custody now and we are going to carry out further investigations regarding their involvement and to know if there are other accomplice, he will equally be traced and arrested and thereafter, they will be prosecuted in a law court.

    Dr. Benjamin noted that their arrests would serve as a deterrent to other candidates.

    Benjamin, who said the board would continue to maintain the integrity of its examinations, added that its partnership with NSCDC would ensure that any candidate caught bridging its rules are arrested.

    He said: “Just as the commandant has said, we are doing this not because she has been arrested, we want this to serve as a deterrent to other candidates. This particular candidacy was spotted from our headquarters, web have made it clear that all our centres are covered by CCTV cameras.

    “We are also monitoring what is happening in all the centres from our headquarters. We got a report that something was happening in Baptist Academy, Karu, and we immediately dispatched a team who went there and go the candidate arrested.

    “We want to sound it very clear that there is no shortcut success. It is no longer business as usual because you will be spotted if you do anything in the examination hall.

    “This particular candidate went into the hall with her phone and text messages were sent to her, but we discover that the answers were for 1990 JAMB questions, they are not for 2018 questions at all. You can see the level of deception. Even if she wasn’t arrested, she would have failed.

    “We want Nigerians to know that the sanctity of this examination is very sacrosanct. We will not allow anybody to destroy what we are doing, we will continue to partner with NSCDC to ensure that whoever attempts to bridge the rule of the game is arrested.

    He added that over one million candidates had written the examination which commenced last Friday.

    Miss Akpabio, confessed that she hid the phone to beat the security checks and that she was caught in the examination hall when she brought it out for usage.

    She said: “I was caught with a phone in exam hall. Actually, I was about bringing out the phone to make use of it and they saw me.”

    When asked if she was aware that she was not supposed to go into the examination hall with a phone, she said yes. “It was just an accident.”

    Akpabio, who said she applied to study Business Administration, added that she had sat for JAMB for more than four times and had been unable to secure admission.

    “My last score was 179,” she said.

    She claimed that other candidates were using their phones when she was caught.

    Etziuala who was sending answers to her phone explained that the answers were generated by another member of the syndicate operating from a Business Centre in Jikwoyi.

    He said the suspect at large, allegedly hacked into JAMB examination questions and generated answers which were forwarded to him (Etziuala), who in turn forward them to Akpabio in the examination hall.

    Etziuala, who said he was a student of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, said he regretted his action describing it as a big mistake.

    “I did not know it will lead to something like this. I am just bothered that this has tarnished my image and others should learn from it,” he said.

    Read Also: UTME 2018: JAMB vows to fight malpractice, cautions against fraudsters