Some parents, guardians and candidates in Lagos, on Monday, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
They described the examination as peaceful and well-coordinated.
The 2025 UTME, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), began on April 24 and will end on May 5.
A visit to several Computer Based Test (CBT) centres in Egbeda, Idimu, Oko Filling in Igando, and Ori-Oke in Ikotun showed a smooth exercise.
At the CBT centre located at Oduduwa University, near Car Wash bus stop, Egbeda, candidates were seen taking the examination in an orderly manner.
Some of them, who shared their experiences, said the coordination of the exam was smooth and free of hitches.
A candidate, Mr. Rufus Destiny, said after his session that he experienced a smooth entry and encountered no issues with the computer assigned to him.
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“My exam was fine, although it started late. It was supposed to begin at 6:30 a.m. but eventually started around 9:00 a.m.
“Everything else went well. The network was stable, and the questions were clear. JAMB really did a good job,” he said.
A guardian, Mr. Peter Udo, who accompanied his nephew, Mr. Gabriel Charles, said the exam was fair, although there was still room for improvement.
“So far, coordination has been good. It is not rowdy. Those scheduled for 9:00 a.m. began entering the hall on time.
“As at 8:50 a.m., officials were already announcing for the 9:00 a.m. batch to proceed into the hall,” Udo stated.
A mother, who requested anonymity, said her child was already inside and commended JAMB’s efforts in ensuring a smooth and hitch-free process.
She prayed that every child sitting the exam would find favour and excel, in spite of the challenges.
Earlier, a visit to Florin High School in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State showed candidates waiting for the exam as early as 7:00 a.m.
However, it was observed that the first session, scheduled for 8:00 a.m., did not start until a few minutes before 9:00 a.m.
A candidate, Mr. Adebowale Osholowu, said the examination was hitch-free and the network connection was excellent.
“I wrote the exam without any network glitches, and the environment was very conducive for concentration,” he said.
Another parent, Mr. Ibrahim Subir, who brought his child for the 12:00 p.m. session, said he was confident the exam would go smoothly.
“When I arrived, everything was orderly. Both candidates and parents behaved well, and the environment was conducive,” Subir said.
He, however, expressed concern that some individuals were exploiting the situation by renting out chairs at N200 per seat.
A vendor, Mrs. Komolafe, said she was only trying to earn money by renting out chairs to waiting parents and candidates.
At Lily Pride High School, another centre, candidates were observed sitting and reading while waiting for their exams.
A candidate, Miss Ifeoma Onyebuchi, said she was waiting to sit her examination and appreciated JAMB for the opportunity.
Also, a total of 92 visually impaired candidates sat for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Kano.
The JAMB Coordinator for Kano centre, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza-Bello, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen shortly after monitoring the exercise on Monday.
The examination was conducted at the School of Continuing Education, Bayero University Kano (BUK), under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) for special needs candidates.
A former Vice Chancellor of BUK, Yahuza-Bello, said the 92 candidates were drawn from Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara and Kaduna State.
“Out of the 92 candidates, two have Down syndrome, while two others have autism”, he said.
The candidates, comprising males and females, received various gadgets such as typewriters, braille machines, slates, styluses, and paper, among others.
Trained personnel and invigilators were deployed to provide amanuensis services for candidates who required assistance to ease the examination process.
Yahuza-Bello said over 500 candidates with special needs, such as visual impairment, albinism, Down syndrome, autism, and other conditions, registered to write the examination in 11 centres across the country.
“This initiative was introduced by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, in 2017 to give equal educational opportunities to all, regardless of disability.
“At CBT centres, the examination is displayed on computer screens and candidates choose options, but many of our candidates cannot read from screens or use keyboards,” he said.
According to him, “Our goal is to eliminate barriers to education, and the initiative builds upon JAMB’s ongoing reforms aimed at inclusivity, including the use of adaptive examination materials to meet diverse needs.”
The Coordinator said the examinations taken by special needs candidates are of the same quality, and standard as those taken by regular candidates at CBT centres.
“Since its inception in 2017, JEOG has recorded success, with a growing number of candidates with special needs gaining admission into various tertiary institutions across the country.
“Only about 25 per cent of regular candidates gained admission into tertiary institutions, while over 33 per cent of special needs candidates secured admission,” he said.
He commended the Vice-Chancellor of BUK, Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, the Department of Special Needs BUK, the School of Continuing Education, and other institutions for offering admission to these candidates.
“As usual JAMB through JEOG has provided free accommodation, feeding and a token for transportation to all candidates during the examination period” he added.
The Coordinator presented Khadija, a former Kano centre candidate who scored over 240 in the UTME and now a final-year student at BUK, studying BSc Dietetics and Nutrition.
Khadija lauded the gesture and offered words of advice and encouragement to the candidates.