The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME)

  • Shaibu lays foundation for 300-capacity CBT Centre

    Edo State Acting Governor, Rt. Hon. Comrade Philip Shaibu has laid the foundation for a 300-capacity Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centre, being constructed by the Ovia South West Local Government Area (LGA), in Iguobazuwa, headquarters of the council area.

    Addressing journalists after the ground-breaking ceremony, Shaibu said the centre will bring succor to students residing in the area, who are faced with the task of travelling long distances to sit for Computer-Based Tests, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME).

    Shaibu commended the council chairman for the effort, noting that the step will complement efforts by the state government to reposition local councils for sustainability.

    The acting governor, who was on a working visit to Ovia South West LGA, visited the Odionwere of Iguobazuwa, Pa Solomon Omokaro, where he assured of the state government’s drive to attract more infrastructural projects to the council.

    Read Also: Why Edo is renovating Ogbemudia Stadium, by Shaibu

    Shaibu noted that the construction of roads in the council, which is reputed for its agrarian prowess will allow for easy evacuation of farm produce to the city centres and open the council to more economic activities.

    While inspecting ongoing construction work at Arosa Road, Shaibu charged contractors handling the project on timely completion before the rains set in. He expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at Imasabenwen Road, assuring that asphalt work will soon be completed on the road.

    “The people are happy with the present state of the road. The rehabilitation of the road has brought progress to this area,” he added.

    Shaibu also inspected the Revenue House, Marriage Registry, Army accommodation, Council Hall and Legislative Building, all in the council area.

    Earlier, Chairman, Ovia South West LGA, Hon. Destiny Enabulele, said he has aligned his administration’s objectives with that of the state government, noting, “I have executed over 30 different projects in this council. Some have been completed while others are ongoing. Some of the projects include the construction of modern markets, renovation of schools and rehabilitation of borehole projects.”

    Enabulele added that the CBT centre would be completed in two months, assuring that it would reduce the risk associated with frequent, long-distance journeys embarked on by students residing in the area.

  • Candidates urge JAMB to upgrade computers for calculations

    Some candidates in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) have called for the upgrade of the computer systems to provide mathematical calculations for the examination.

    A cross-section of the candidates made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday, during the 2019 UTME Computer-Based Test (CBT) in Umuahia, the Abia capital.

    The candidates, who wrote Mathematics and other science subjects, regretted that the computer did not have scientific calculator.

    According to them, since candidates were not allowed to carry calculator and other writing materials into the examination hall, it was difficult for them to solve some problems.

    They said that in most cases, they engaged in guess work, whether right or wrong.

    Jennifer Onyeka, a candidate of Computer Science, said that although she was proficient in the use of computer, yet “the computer calculator is not scientific.”

    Onyeka said: “It is elementary calculator and cannot be used to solve the kind of questions we had in the exam yet we were not allowed to use biro and other writing materials.

    “It became difficult to do calculations involving Mathematics, Physcis and Chemistry.”

    Also, David Uruakpa, a Banking and Finance candidate, who sat for Mathematics, also complained that he could not solve some of the Mathematics calculations with the in-built calculator.

    He said that because there was neither paper nor space to solve the questions, he resorted to guess work in some cases.

    Christian Nzubechi, who intended to study Business Administration, said that he encountered challenges in Mathematics because there were no tools to work with.

    Nzubechi said: “I really commend JAMB for this CBT method.

    Read Also: WAEC, JAMB working on clashing timetables

    “It is better than the former paperwork, but it should consider candidates doing calculations, by installing an application that will assist them.”

    Amarachi Okoronkwo, a candidate of Economics, lauded JAMB for a hitch-free examination but said there was still room for improvement.

    Okoronkwo said: “I sat for this exam last year but this year’s own was more organised than the previous ones.

    “I think JAMB should upgrade the software package to accommodate scientific calculator in the interest of candidates in Mathematics and other science subjects.”

    Collins Nweke, however, told NAN that he did not have any difficulty with the use of  the computer.

    Other respondents also identified the lack of computer skills by some candidates as setback.

    Mr Lawrence Ezeigbo, a CBT coordinator for Clems Business Systems Ltd., Umuahia, advised candidates to endeavour to acquire adequate computer skills before entering for UTME.

    Ezeigbo, whose centre is accredited for the examination in the state, decried the poor computer literacy level of most candidates.

    He said that many candidates lacked the technical skill to write the examination.

    He said: “My technical staffs have been going around, assisting those of them that have technical challenge.

    “I advise that these candidates should undertake training on how to use computers to write examination.”

    He commended JAMB for providing adequate facilities needed for the examination.

    Mr Umecheme Ogboso, a JAMB supervisor at the centre, also said that some of the candidates were not familiar with use of the systems.

    Ogboso commended JAMB for ensuring that the examination was hitch-free, describing  the exercise as the best examination JAMB had ever organised.

    He said that the adoption of the CBT helped to eliminate examination malpractice.

    NAN reports that there were visible presence of security operatives in most of the centres visited in Umuahia.

    NAN

     

  • Electronic devices remain banned from exam halls – JAMB

     

     

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Sunday insisted the use of electronic devices by candidates during the unified tertiary matriculation examinations (UTME) remained prohibited.

    The agency said electronic devices like mobile phones, calculators, wristwatches and recorders won’t be allowed into any of its centres by candidates during this year’s examination.

    JAMB stated these in its Weekly Bulletin obtained by our reporter in Abuja on Sunday.

    Some of the banned items include: spy reading glasses, cameras, ear piece, Bluetooth devices, USB, CD, hard disk and other similar storage devices.

    Others are: pen/biro, smart lenses, books or any reading/writing material, ink/pen readers, key holders, ATM cards, erasers and smart rings/jewelries.

    The statement reads: “To ensure that the board’s examinations meet best global practice, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has prohibited the use of the following items during examinations.

     

    “Candidates are hereby advised in their best interest not to bring these items close to the examination venue. Any breach of this directive would bar the candidates from taking the examination.”

    JAMB’s Spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said candidates have been complying with the directives since it was introduced by the agency.

    He stated some candidates who breached the directive and brought some of the devices to the hall were caught and handed over to security agencies.

    READ ALSO:2019 UTME: JAMB registers over 1.6 million few days to closure

    According to him, the essence of the ban is to ensure that JAMB’s examination meets global best practice.

    He said: “Candidates have been complying. The board had provided lockers where candidates can lock their personal belongings. However, if you are caught in the hall with any of them, certainly you would be sanctioned.

    “Last year we caught a lady that had a phone in her private part and she was taken to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and she was prosecuted.”

    Chairman, Governing Board of JAMB, Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe, attributed the ban on cyber café from handling its registration on the need to have a seamless, free from all kinds of infractions registration process.

    Ndukwe noted the ban became inevitable following the review of the activities of cybercafé operators.

    He explained that registration was a vital component of any successful examination and as such, it should not be marred by extortion, mismatched data and poor technical know-how.

    He added that the agency would continue to define the code of operations with a view to enhancing the system for the benefit of all candidates.

     

     

  • Mixed reactions trail release of 2018 UTME results

    Some candidates of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations ( UTME ) have reacted to the results released by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board ( JAMB ) on Tuesday.

    The candidates spoke in separate interviews with our reporter on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The board initially released the first batch of results in the first week of the examination and over 1.5 million was later released, on Tuesday, March 20.

    While many had been able to check their results, others complained that their results were yet to be displayed or they were still finding it difficult to check their results.

    Chibuke Okafor, a candidate, described the entire process the results had to undergo as fair.

    According to him, unlike the previous exercise, the wait for the 2018 Examination results had a lot of mixed feelings associated with it.

    “I scored 249 and am happy with the result since it is above the cut off mark.

    “At a point, one was not sure what to expect again because it was taking longer than usual before the results were released.

    “Especially, when I realised that some people that wrote after me were able to get their results before I did.

    “Before now, every time I checked, it was either saying I did not sit for the exam or that my result was not ready, until I could finally access it last night.

    “I think the exam was fair; while a lot of us had high scores, few of my friends scored quite low points,” he said.

    Another candidate, Lucy Ibrahim, told our reporter that she scored quite high but a little less than her previous score.

    Ibrahim, who sat for the examination a second time because she couldn’t get admissions in 2017, said that her 2018 score was satisfactorily.

    She described the examination as tough, however, noted that it was nothing, compared to the tension of waiting patiently for the results to come out, almost a week later.

    Similarly, Alice Adigun, another candidate said that the wait for the release of the results almost gave a lot of candidates “hypertension.”

    According to her, she and her younger sister sat for the examinations a day in between but her sister’s result was yet to be displayed on the JAMB portal.

    Adigun, who lauded JAMB’s efforts to ensure fairness in the entire process, however, urged the board to work speedily on the results of other awaiting candidates while also praying for successful admission process.

    Meanwhile, some parents had complained of the challenge in accessing the JAMB portal to check results.

    Mr Shemang Aboi, a civil servant, said that he had in the past week, continuously been checking for the result of his son but could not access the board’s portal.

    “I do not know if it is network problem from my ends or that too many people are trying to access it at the same time; maybe because it was not ready then, because each time I try, it gives me different information.

    “Now that it is confirmed that they had successfully released the results, I will try again and hope to be successful,” Aboi said.

    Similarly, Mr Moses Ibanga told our reporter that it took him almost an hour before he could finally access the results of his daughter from the JAMB site.

    He commended the board for its efforts towards ensuring a smooth and successful examination process but urged the board to do more sensitisation to the grassroots in order to give people more awareness on its system.

    1, 662, 762 candidates registered for the 2018 UTME and 1,502,978 results had so far been released while 112,331 others were still undergoing screening.

    The board said 350 out of the outstanding results were that of the blind candidates, which would be released soon, while 111,981 results are being withheld for further screening.

    NAN

  • 2018 UTME: Candidates complain over use of computer

    Some candidates who sat for the ongoing 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations ( UTME ) say they found the use of computers challenging.

    The candidates spoke in separate interviews with our correspondent who monitored the exercise on Monday in Abuja.

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board ( JAMB ) on March 9 started the 2018 UTME in its 605 centres across the country.

    One if the candidates, Aliyu Dikko, who sat a Dutse-Makaranta Centre told our correspondent that the questions were not as challenging as the use of the computer.

    Aliyu said that his inability to use the computer was because he was coming from a rural part of the town and access to the such gadgets was a challenge.

    He said that the little knowledge he had on the use of computer was a bit different from what he experienced while sitting for the examination.

    “For instance, I got so tensed I skipped to the next page when I was not through with the one I was answering.

    “Asides this, everything went fine with me; I’ll just go and pray that God favours me,” he said.

    Another candidate, Temitope Momodu said that it was just two weeks ago that she familiarises herself with the use of a computer.

    She said that her school, which was government-owned, was teaching computer studies but not the practical aspect of it that would enable her use the system effectively.

    She, however, said that her experience during the examinations was a smooth one, although she was slow, she managed to make good use of her time.

    Nnoli Samuel, another candidate said more students would have been familiar with the procedure of how to use the computer, if JAMB was able to conduct a mock test for everyone before the examination proper.

    According to him, only those who are writing the examinations for the second or more time will find the use of the computer easy.

    “Some of us are writing for the first time, it is not as if I have not used a computer before but you know this is an exam and if you make one mistake, there’s no going back.

    “You need to think well at the same time be fast because your time is running. I must say also that the questions were what I expected but the options were really confusing for me.”

    Samuel lauded the entire conduct of the exercise, while also commending the centre for keeping to time as well as maintaining a hitch free session.

    Mrs Kate Udoh, a parent of one of the candidates at a Bwari centre advised other parents to ensure their children received computer training while in school.

    “If the school, whether private or government owned, does not teach or have the computers to teach them, the children should be enrolled in training centres.

    “This is better than buying them big phones and gadgets they do not need for now and that may even take away their attention from learning from the big screen.

    “This is where it starts from, once they gain admissions into higher schools, it would not be new to them anymore.”

    We recall that Prof. Is’hak Oloyede, JAMB’s Registrar recently stressed the board’s readiness to keep pace with the fast changes in technology.

    He therefore urged candidates to improve their skills in information technology to be able to run with the board’s vision.

    NAN

  • JAMB releases results of mock UTME

    JAMB releases results of mock UTME

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says it has released results of the Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) conducted on Saturday.

    The Head, Information and Media of the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview on Thursday in Lagos that 150,000 candidates registered for the mock examination nationwide.

    The examination was initially scheduled to hold on April 8 but was postponed to April 29 due to some hitches.

    Benjamin said the results of the mock examination had been uploaded to the board’s website.

    “We have finished marking the scripts and uploaded the results to our website.

    “We call on all candidates that participated in the examination to check on their results on our website.

    “However, these results have nothing to do or add to the main examination scheduled to begin on May 13.

    “So, we will not want those who did not participate in the mock to entertain any fear, because it will not take anything away from the main examination.

    “We also want to inform all our stakeholders that registration for this 2017 UTME will officially close by 12.00 midnight of May 5.

    “No fewer than 1.7 million candidates have so far registered for the examination, and by 12 midnight of May 5, JAMB website for registration will be closed,’’ he said.

    Benjamin enjoined candidates who registered for the examination to get themselves ready and improve on their computer skills.

    NAN reports that 633 centres will be used nationwide for the main UTME starting on May 13

  • Senate suspends amendment of JAMB Act

    Senate suspends amendment of JAMB Act

    …Backs examination body to improve on success

     

    The Senate on Wednesday said it has suspended the amendment of the Act establishing the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in order to allow for adequate consultation with stakeholders.

    The red chamber had approved the extension of the validity of the results of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) being conducted by JAMB to three years.

    The decision, the senate had said, was granted to reduce the financial burden of the examination on parents, students and JAMB.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), Senator Aliyu Wamakko, confirmed the suspension to reporters during an oversight visit to the headquarters of JAMB in Abuja.

    Wamakko, who was represented by Senator Ajayi Boroffice, stated that the senate would not make any laws that would impede on the progress of any institution.

    He said: “Your JAMB result is only valid for one year and we thought it will be better for it to be valid at least for three years. It will reduce the burden on the parents, on the students themselves even on the institution that is conducting the test. I think it is what is good for all of us and I don’t think the public will reject it.

    “As I said we don’t make laws for an individual or for the senate. We make law for the country in the interest of all of us. A bill must not necessarily be at the convenience of a particular organization, having said that, since we don’t want to make a law that will impede the progress of any institution we are bound to listen to what they are saying. We are bound to listen to them.”

    Wamakko, who is representing Sokoto North Senatorial District, commended JAMB for the progress it has recorded so far, urging the examination body to improve on its successes.

    “I think JAMB has made so much progress over the years and all we can say is that they should continue to improve on their performance because the lives of millions of Nigerians will depend on them and I hope the confidence they will repose in them they will be able to justify it. We are happy with our visit, we are happy with the registrar, we are happy with the management and I think we are happy with ourselves too,” he added.

    Responding, JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, said he was happy the senate listened to its appeal to suspend the amendment of its Act.

    Prof. Oloyede urged members of the House of Representatives and the Executive to tow the line of the senate by giving room for consultation with stakeholders.

    According to him, the extension of its UTME result to three years would do more harm than good.

    He said: “I believe that they must have considered so many things before coming to that conclusion at that time but my appeal is to the other legs – the House of Representatives and to the President that it will do more harm to the students than good.

    “One problem I find is that when there is a problem rather than studying the problem and look for strategy to solving them we will jump into conclusion which is more dangerous than the original problem.

    “When you look at the issue of three years somebody mentioned that that is what is done in Britain and US. There is a basic difference. They are conducting aptitude test and aptitude test will last longer. We are conducting achievement test and you can’t compare the two. If you want to go in that direction why not but there will be change of infrastructure, everything will be in place. You don’t midway into a system.

    “For instance when you make that type of law you have not contacted NUC to say ‘NUC change your syllabus.’ You want to admit somebody you conduct the exam today the intension is to test the ability of the student to cope with university education at the 100 Level for instance. If they change the syllabus our exam must change and that will not synchronize with your three years. You will having a set of students who are tested for a programme different from the one they are doing.”

    Oloyede blamed the lack of admission of students by institution on mismatch.

    According to him, the policy to allocate 60/40 for sciences and art for admission by universities does not support the school system which produces 80 per cent art students and 20 per cent science students.

    This, he said, does not allow the institutions to fulfill their admission quota every year.

    “When you talk about students not been admitted, it is because of mismatch and when you say for instance most of the universities must take 60 science 40 arts and in some cases it goes as far as 70/30 and you have these policies in place but you are producing from the school system 80% art, 20% science and you want all of them to go.

    “The question I want the legislators to ask is: ‘why is it that we are not filling our quota every year?’ That is where to start because we are not filing the quota. It is not a matter of space alone. There are other issues. There is systemic issue that should be addressed. Making such a law will not be helpful in anyway,” he stated.

  • FG scraps post UTME

    FG scraps post UTME

    • Pegs cut-off at 180

    The Federal Government Thursday scrapped the conduct of post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) for candidates seeking admission into higher institution.

    The government explained that all tertiary institutions were at liberty to conduct screening for candidates seeking admission into any school.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said this on Thursday in Abuja after declaring open the 2016 Combined Policy Meeting on Admissions to Universities, Polytechnics and other higher institutions in Nigeria.

    Adamu, expressed confidence in the examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), adding that there was no need for other examination to be conducted by universities after JAMB.

    He said: “As far as I am concerned the nation has confidence in what JAMB is doing. The universities should not be holding another examination and if the universities have any complain against JAMB let them bring it and then we address it.

    “If JAMB is qualified enough to conduct tests and they have conducted test then there will be no need to conduct another test for students to gain admission.”

    The Minister also asked the JAMB to stop extra charges on several categories of changes on admissions such as the change of course, change of school and others.

    Meanwhile, the JAMB has pegged the cut – off mark for admission for 2016 at 180.

    The 180 benchmark, applies to all universities and higher institutions in the country, including polytechnics, colleges of education, and others.

    JAMB’s Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, after a long debate with delegates from various institutions, told journalists that no institution would go below the 180 cut-off set by the board.

    He said: “180 is given, no institution will go below 180 this year, And some universities can go above it, I know University of Ife will not go below 200 and University of Lagos will not go below 200 and also UI. All these ones stand but 180 as bench mark for others.

    “This year we have more than enough candidates, we have over 1.5 million candidates so we will get enough candidates to take in all the schools if they are serious. Re-distribution is already ongoing, because it is embedded in the registration procedure.”