The Nation Newspaper

Tag: utme

  • Police disrupt exam in Yenagoa centre

    Police disrupt exam in Yenagoa centre

    •Civil defence kicks

    THE Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which held nationwide yesterday, was disrupted at the Community Secondary School, Agudiama-Epie, Yenagoa Bayelsa State by the police

    Trouble started when a team of the police arrived the centre and insisted on gaining entry into the classrooms where students had sat for the examination.

    Two of the policemen, Corporal Okonkwo Sarah and Ethel Appiah, told the principal of the school and other supervisors that they had the mandate of the District Police Officer (DPO) to enter the classrooms.

    It was gathered that there was no breach of the peace and security issues in any of the classrooms when the police arrived the centre.

    The explanations of the Principal, Mrs. John-Adumo Caroline, that the guidelines governing UTME does not allow security operatives to enter examination halls were met with violence by Appiah and Ethel.

    They pushed the female principal aside and marched to the classrooms.

    Appiah caused panic among the candidates when she hit one of the supervisors, Mr. Emmanuel Amagbei and stripped one of his buttons.

    Amagbei had tried to stop the policewomen by asking them to heed the advice of the principal, explaining that their action was illegal.

    But they mistreated him and insisted that as members of the police force, they must be given unfettered access to any part of the school.

    The duo also engaged officials of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) who came to monitor the examination in a shouting match.

    It was gathered that their actions forced candidates who wanted to catch a glimpse of the scene to abandon the examination.

    The policewomen were undeterred by the presence of the state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Desmond Agu.

    Agu, who toured many of the centres in Yenagoa and Otuoke, Ogbia, was disappointed with the conduct of the policewomen.

    The policewomen insulted the commandant who tried to remind them the guidelines governing UTME and the roles of security operatives.

    He said to them: “Security operatives including my men are not allowed to enter into the exam halls. They are only asked to stay outside and secure the centre. Are you not aware of that?”

    But Okonkwo replied: “Our DPO sent us here. He told us to come here and that is why we are here. Nobody not even you can ask us to leave”.

    While the commandant was still addressing them, the two policewomen walked out on him.

    Agu’s efforts to call them back proved abortive as Appiah particularly ignored the commandant and walked away.

    The men of the NSDC who escorted their commandant were furious at the attitude of the women and wanted to pounce on them.

    Agu intervened to prevent what could have led to an inter-agency clash.

    He said the conduct of the examination in the state was generally peaceful apart from the excesses of the policewomen.

    “Other schools we visited show that the conduct of the students are good. The guideline of the examination does not allow people in uniform including men of the NSCDC to enter inside the classrooms.

    “They are only to guide the people outside. Supervisors have been told not to allow them to enter and that was why they had problems with the policewomen”, he said.

    He added that the policewomen must explain their mission in the school.

    The principal decried the attitude of the policewomen and asked the police authority in the state to call them to order.

     

  • Fewer centres for UTME paper exams in Lagos

    THERE was significant reduction of centres for the conventional Paper and Pencil Test (PPT) option of the 2014 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) held yesterday across the country.This may not be unconnected with plans by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to migrate the examination to the online platform completely by 2015.

    In Lagos, checks showed that the public and private secondary schools that usually served as centres for the yearly examination were not used this year.

    The few PPT centres were for far flung areas like Ikorodu, Agbado, Epe and Badagry.

    It was observed the examination went smoothly.

    JAMB’s Assistant Director, Corporate Services, Mr. Babatunde Ifesanmi, who was the Centre Supervisor of the Chams City Dual Based Test (DBT) option Centre Ikeja, said the board recorded more candidates for the DBT this year than last.

    He said 350 of the 360 candidates assigned to his DBT centre sat for the examination, which started by 9.30am and ended 1pm.

    Ifesanmi explained that the board had taken extra care to ensure that power would not disrupt examinations in the DBT centres.

    Ifesanmi also said the Computer Based Test (CBT) option of the 2014 UTME will begin May 17 and may last for up to two weeks. He said the advantages of the e-examination far outweigh the conventional one and expressed confidence that the migration would be possible next year all over the country.

    “From next year, there will be no PPT or DBT option, only CBT.  There will be no problems with access because there are tertiary institutions in all parts of the country that have ICT facilities. Most of them are partnering with us for the examination,” he said.

    One of the candidates, Barakat Abidemiu, said the examination went smoothly despite her limited ICT skills.

    “The exam was okay.  I don’t know much about using the computer and I was worried before the exam. But it posed no problem because it was not difficult to use,” said the SS3 pupil of Mahmud Ahmadiyya College, Ijede in Ikorodu.

     

  • UTME holds in Yobe amidst tight security

    The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was held without any security breach across all centres in Yobe state.

    The exam was held in major towns of the state including  Damaturu, Gashua, Potiskum, and Geidam.

    Our correspondent who monitored the exams in Damaturu and Potiskum observed that heavy security measures were taken as candidates were screened from the gate of the institution by stern-looking security men even before they got to the venue of the exams.

    Investigation revealed that some centres in the state from Buni Yadi were merged . The centre at Federal Government Girls College Potiskum was also merged with Federal College of Education (Technical)Potiskum.

    Most of the candidates who spoke with The Nation were grateful to God for seeing them through the exams, just as many expressed fear before the commencement of the exams.

    Hafsat Abdullahi informed that her father registered her in Yobe but she came from Maiduguri.

    “Because of the uncertainty in Maiduguri, my father decided to register me in Yobe. I thank God that i have written the exams successful”, she said.

    Musa Mohammadu said  “ I am just happy that Allah has seen us through”.

    Meanwhile, security was tight at every centre of the exams across the state as the security battle to prevent an possible attack from unknown gunmen.

    Many were seen patrolling  as the examination lasted.

    No official of JAMB was ready to speak with the press as many of them that were approached turned down the reporter’s request.

     

  • Over 1.5m candidates to write Saturday’s UTME

    Over 1.5m candidates to write Saturday’s UTME

    One million, six hundred and six thousand, seven hundred and fifty-three (1,606,753) candidates will on Saturday write the 2014 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) across Nigeria and abroad.

    The examination, which will end on the May 17, will hold in 392 examination towns in Nigeria and seven overseas.

    The Registrar/Chief Executive of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, spoke yesterday in Abuja on the examination.

    He regretted that only 35 per cent of the 1,735,892 candidates who sat for the 2013 UTME secured admissions in Nigerian universities.

    Ojerinde addressed reporters in Abuja to announce the beginning of the examination date and preparations for the task.

    The registrar blamed the poor admission placement in the universities on the management of the institutions who he said did not utilise the prescribed carrying capacities of 50 per cent.

    He said: “Most Federal universities do not admit up to their carrying capacities. The government has opened up accesses but universities’ management chooses not to utilise the spaces in their institutions. For instance, some departments may have space for 250 students, but the school may admit only 180, thereby denying admission to 70 students.

    “I have spoken to most of these institutions but if I am pushed to the wall, I will not hesitate to publish their names in the national dailies.”

    He said this year’s examination would be in three modes: Computer-Based Test (CBT), Dual-Based Test (DBT) and Paper Pencil Test (PPT).

    The JAMB chief insisted on the 2015 deadline for PPT, adding that the board would ensure that only CBT examinations are conducted all over the country from 2015.

    The foreign centres for the 2014 UTME include: Accra in Ghana; Buea in Republic of Cameroun; Cotonou in Republic of Benin; London in the United Kingdom (UK); Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Johannesburg in Republic of South Africa and Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire.

     

    Ojerinde said the figure for 2014 showed a decrease of 129,139 applicants, compared to 2013 figure of 1,735,892.

    The JAMB chief said the decrease in the number of applicants was caused by the Boko Haram onslaught in the Northeast.

    He assured that the examination would go on, despite the security condition.

     

     

  • I like my man to be in charge – Nollywood actress Chika Agatha

    I like my man to be in charge – Nollywood actress Chika Agatha

    Chika Oguine Agatha is a fast-rising Nollywood actress. She is endowed with brains and beauty. In this interview with Dupe AYINLA-OLASUNKANMI, the Anambra State-born Business Management graduate of the University of Nigeria, Enugu State, talks about her passion for acting, among other interesting issues.

    WHAT are you currently working on? I have a few scripts right now, so I will soon hit the locations. However, some of my works were recently released into the market. One of the movies, Temple of Serpent, was released not long ago and is currently doing well in the market. Also, Sex in the Bar Beach, Ajekpako Billionaire and Sons of Zebedee will also hit the movie shelves soon.

    When precisely did you decide to become an actress?

    I’ve always loved acting since when I was a child. I remember I joined the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) when I was 12 years old. Then, we were living very close to the producer of the movie, Aki and Pawpaw. The producer actually called me and asked why I had not thought of acting. I guess he probably saw something in me. He was like, “Chika, you are good and we can groom you.” That was how I was registered with the AGN about 11 years ago.

    How did your parents’ react to your going into acting?

    My father never liked the idea. His view was that I was still too young to be registered by the guild not to talk of acting. He said I had to graduate from school first before thinking of joining the industry. When I finished secondary school, I filled Theatre Art in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) form. My dad still said no to that. He said I should apply for Mass Communication or something else.

    So, that was how I went in for Mass Communication. But I ended up studying Business Management. Even as a Business Management student then, I always knew what I wanted in life; I knew I wanted to act. After my second year, I got to know about a theatre group and I joined. So, that should tell you how committed I have always been to my dream of becoming an actress.

    You sound so passionate about acting…

    In all my life, I have always wanted to act; I’ve always wanted to end up as an entertainer. At a point, I used to look at myself in the mirror and start making some funny gestures, which always attracted attentions of people around me.

    Someone once saw me doing that and told my parents that I was always in the front of a mirror. I’m not the type of person who would sit down in the office and start typing or just doing something monotonous. I like challenging things.

    The movie industry, you will agree with me, is highly competitive. So, what is unique about you that could pave way for your success?

    Are you talking about my unique selling point? (General laughter) I know I’ve got the desired talent and I know I’m beautiful. Apart from this, producers no longer want people who just do the regular things. I’ve discovered that I know how to communicate effectively without anybody knowing where I’m from. I also have a kind of IQ that is not too common with a lot of young people out there. Physically, I think my eyes are also something that people admire a lot.

    What is so special about your eyes?

    If I go to any audition, my diction and my eyes do a lot of magic for me; I think I’ve got sexy eyes.

    You are endowed with big boobs, so why are talking about your eyes?

    (Laughter) Really? I wasn’t aware that I have huge boobs.

    Generally, what part of your body do you treasure most?

    Different people have different parts of their bodies that they treasure. For me, it’s my eyes. When I look at you, if you are someone who isn’t prepared intellectually, you will end up doing my wish. But most importantly, I try to use my eyes well, not just in my career, but for effective communication, generally.

    How far can you go to interpret a role? Can you expose sensitive parts of your body?

    Expose sensitive parts of my body? I think it depends on the role I’m to play. If it’s a club scene, of course, people don’t go to clubs naked. And one mustn’t even go naked, just to interpret a role-that is where professionalism comes in.

    What about a role where you have to make real love?

    (Laughter) I haven’t thought about that yet. I’m still an up-and-coming actress, so I’ve to position myself in such a way that people will make people start requesting what I can’t give. For now, I don’t know if I can do a movie, where I will have to make love for real. Of course, I can do romance. But when you mean real love making, I don’t think I can do that for now.

    What about going nude?

    You mean baring it all, without pants and bra? That is on the extreme. For how much? Maybe if I were a Hollywood actress, I could. But as a Nollywood actress, I can’t. We are Africans; it’s not African for me to start opening my boobs and bums because I want to act a movie. It’s not our culture to do so. In Hollywood, going nude is like a normal thing. When you are with your husband in a movie, everyone knows you are with your husband and you could be nude. The same thing applies when you are in the bathroom or going swimming. But it is not like that back here in Nigeria.

    How do you cope with randy producers?

    There is this flagrance people carry about and that is attitude. That is what defines how people relate to you. I’ve been able to carry myself in such a manner that people won’t just tell me things like that. Whoever that comes across my way seems to know the kind of person I am, mostly because of the flagrance- that is the manner I carry myself. So, it’s all about attitude. It depends on whether you have any respect for yourself or not.

    You seem to be too serious?

    It’s not all about appearing serious; anybody could appear serious and still get messed up. The point is who are you and do you exude the attitude that could make anybody to start demanding sex from you? That is basically what I mean. When you don’t compromise, people will learn to respect your dignity as a woman.

    Is marriage part of your New Year’s resolution?

    I think marriage will come when God wants it to.

    What are you waiting for?

    (Laughter) everybody is waiting for Mr. Right.

    Are you in any serious relationship now?

    Yes, I am in a serious relationship that is just about few weeks’ old.

    Few weeks? Are you saying you recently quit a relationship?

    Yes, I did. But I really don’t want to talk about it. I have moved on.

    What qualities do you want in a man?

    I don’t even know the kind of man I want these days. I just want a man who has the fear of God and a man designed and created just for me by God. But basically, it’s a different thing to attract me and a different thing to keep me. I like men who are neat because most men nowadays are far from being neat. You have to be outspoken. I like a man who can be in control of me. I want a man who can sit me down and talk to me, especially when I’m on the wrong track. I like a man who knows how to respect a woman; a man who is exposed and not stereotyped. I can’t marry a man who is just into one kind of work; I like men who do businesses.

    What happened to the first man in your life?

    At a point in a woman’s life, she gets to know the kind of man she will want to spend the rest of her life with. I met my first boyfriend in my second year in school and I think I was naïve then. Though he was cute and caring, he lacked what I was looking for in man.

    Did you find it easy to forget this man that made you the woman you are today?

    It wasn’t difficult for me, but I had to move on. One thing about me is that, anybody that comes around me will always find it difficult to disengage from me, even if such a person never had anything intimate with me. When I met him, it wasn’t love at first sight. We had a friendship; and from there, we built a relationship. You know, these days, people ignorantly look for friendship in a relationship. I think it should be the other way round.

    What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

    My dad told me that the best decision that I can take is my own decision. And I’ve grown to find out that the advice is the best I’ve ever received.

     

    In Nollywood, roles are not easy to come by. So, do you have to get down with a producer for a movie role?

    Getting down with a man? You mean the man f….g me? Life is full of uncertainties! What after getting down with him and he wakes up from another side of his bed and says, ‘No, I won’t give her the role again?’ What then do I do? I believe more in getting my roles on merit than cheapening myself and turning myself into a sex symbol.

  • JAMB’s monstrosity

    JAMB’s monstrosity

    It was meant to provide a seamless passage, but ironically, it has become a monster that is tormenting Nigerian students and also causing collateral nightmares to their parents and guardians. That is the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB. JAMB is the official examination board for entrance into tertiary-level institutions in Nigeria. The body is saddled with the responsibility of administering examinations to students who apply for admission into any Nigerian public and private universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.

    In recent times, a lot of public outcry has greeted the conduct of JAMB examinations across the country. The complaints range from inability to access the body’s website, inadequate examination centres, the nearness of these centres to candidates’ places of domicile and all that. But of particular contention is the body’s Computer-Based Test, CBT, which many people have attributed to the woeful results recorded last year in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, by students who were consequently denied entrance into the nation’s tertiary institutions. Now that another UTME is holding in April, stakeholders are worried about the insistence of JAMB to give priority to the CBT and deny those students who still want to do the manual exams, that is, pencil and paper exams, the opportunity to do so by drastically reducing centres for such exams to an intolerable minimum.

    JAMB had told the nation last year that it was going to conduct pilot CBTs till 2015 before it finally opts for the system to conduct its entrance examinations to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions. One would have expected the body to still tarry awhile to perfect the conduct of its pilot scheme before putting a seal of finality on it. Even in the last year’s examination, which marked the first pilot scheme, the CBT ran into hitches which necessitated the body to shift the examination for some candidates who registered for it.

    For instance, the examinations suffered some hitches at a centre located at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos. As a result, no fewer than 200 students who were scheduled to write their exam at the centre had to be moved to other centres because they could not access JAMB’s site. This resulted in the CBT starting late. A similar incident occurred at OAK Comprehensive College, Ogba, another centre in Lagos, following a power outage cum technical problems. The consequence of this was the inability to connect the internet for the 180 candidates who were to sit for the examination. This development resulted in all the candidates being moved to another centre located on the premises of Chams, an IT-based company, located at the Government Reservation Area of Ikeja, Lagos, to enable take the examination.

    Even at that, it was not still plain sailing for the candidates. Prior to the incident, 350 candidates were earlier scheduled to sit for the examination at Chams on the day of the UTME, but with the relocation of other candidates to the centre, there was a population explosion which increased the number to 700. Since the capacity of the centre was 350 candidates at a time, the UTME at the centre was therefore postponed by another two days. The examination was invariably held in two sessions in order not to overstretch the infrastructure at the centre.

    Long before the commencement of the CBT UTME last year, Nigerians from all walks of life had expressed pessimism over the policy. Their argument was premised on the fact that it might not work after all. They hinged their resentment on the shameful epileptic power supply in the country, the low computer literacy level of many Nigerian students with much emphasis on those living in the poor, rural areas who may not have the least opportunity to work on the computer, as well as the sustainability of the policy which JAMB hopes to be adopted fully in 2015.

    There is no doubt that Dibu Ojerinde, a Professor and Executive Secretary of JAMB and his team mean well. The CBT may have been a good idea, especially now that the world is becoming increasingly ICT-compliant. One also appreciates the fact that the body’s target is to ensure that candidates’ papers are marked, and results released within a short frame of time after the conduct of its examination, but the body needs to make sure that it puts the proper machinery in place before the full take-off of the system. Like I said earlier, though Nigerians are not averse to Information Technology, most candidates, especially those in rural areas, do not have access to computer in their schools. Where they exist at all, they are drastically in short supply, perhaps, reducing the ratio of computers to students to like 1:100 or more.

    It is also quite understandable that all JAMB is doing is to improve the quality of examinations for Nigerian students so as to be able to compete favourably with their counterparts in any part of the world. However, introducing such noble policy without enough enlightenment, sensitisation and adequate preparation of the students through exhaustive pilot scheme, casts some dark clouds on the body’s determination to succeed in revolutionising the conduct of examinations in Nigeria. It is like Ojerinde is in a hurry to bring so many innovations at once to the body, mostly those that are not in tandem with available infrastructural facilities in the country. It was not surprising, therefore, that last year’s UTME recorded lots of irregularities and raised some uproar across the country.

    The 2013 UTME was taken by 1.7million Nigerian students with the hope of gaining entrance into the various tertiary institutions in the country. Unfortunately, the examination witnessed many lapses during the exercise and after the release of the results. This ugly development left many students wondering if they could ever gain admission into tertiary institutions through JAMB the way things were going. The situation is further compounded by the fact that there are limited or scanty spaces available for the candidates.

    Out of the 1.7 million candidates who sat for the 2013 UTME, only a miserable 500,000 places were available for them, leaving about 1.2 million candidates stranded. And to further rub salt into the wound, even the students who scaled JAMB’s hurdle were confronted by yet another problem when the universities were closed down due to the industrial action embarked upon by lecturers in public universities nationwide. They only had a rethink in January this year after keeping the classrooms under lock and key for an upward of six months.

    Now that the 2014 UTME is here again, the blunt refusal of Ojerinde and his men to see reason and allow the candidates to settle for the system of their choice for the examination is causing a lot of ripples in the land. So far, all entreaties to make JAMB to accommodate the pencil shading system, preferred by some candidates, have fallen on deaf ears. This obstinacy is creating panic and generating much furore among students and parents, who believe that the policies adopted by the body to address problems associated with the examination, is rather frustrating.

    Of greater worry is the difficulty in accessing centres through JAMB portal, especially for those who have opted for the paper and pencil system. The centres are not just there. And when they are available at all, they are located in far-flung destinations. For instance, the other day, one of the parents complained loudly that the only centre available for his son is in Kaduna. Yet, another complained that her child’s centre is located somewhere in Delta State.

    If I may ask, how would somebody who has lived all his lives in Lagos be asked to take his son or daughter to somewhere like Kaduna or Delta State, where they may not have been before, to write an examination? That looks more like a punitive banishment. And like James Glover Thurber (1894 – 1961), an American humourist and cartoonist, once said, “Men of all degrees should form this prudent habit: Never serve a rabbit stew before you catch the rabbit.” There is the need for JAMB to urgently address all these anomalies.

     

  • UNIBEN vice chancellor must hear this!

    UNIBEN vice chancellor must hear this!

    SIR: It is utterly inconceivable that a university teacher can create unrealistic terms about a compulsory examination that ultimately demonstrate oppression and inevitably cause psychological pain as well as risk of property loss on the side of students diligently working to fulfill the conditions required for them to obtain a Bachelors degree.

    On Friday  January 24, a lecturer in the department of mechanical engineering, University of Benin (UNIBEN), rolled, to his class of eager students, a set of draconian standards that have to be met for anybody taking the course to be admitted into the examination hall.

    The examination is expected to hold on Wednesday February 5, and the conditions listed by the lecturer are not included in the examination rules and ethics of exams as written in the university’s

    code of conduct.

    The course, MEE 372 is software based (Autodesk’s AutoCAD 2007 ); students are expected to use a computer system for it. Since not all students have the financial ability to procure a laptop, many of them made arrangements to borrow laptops to participate in the exam.

    The lecturer however told the students that any student who wishes to write the examination must submit his/her laptop on or before 2:00pm a day prior to the examination date. Additionally, that all passwords must be removed from the system to enable him access and “scan” all laptops before the exam. Most disturbing is that he insisted that he would not be liable for any loss or damage to any laptop while under his custody.

    He claims that he needs to have access to every student’s laptop a day to the exam so that he can input the examination questions into them before the exam. He further explained that he may need to still retain the laptop for some time after the examinations to enable him mark the answers.

    How can a lecturer ask students to submit their laptops a day to the exam, knowing fully well that the students need it at such time for revision? How does he expect the students who have to

    borrow laptops to hand them over to him? How can he disregard the student’s right to privacy by asking them to remove their password thereby putting their personal information at risk of exposure?

    How can a lecturer say he will not be held liable in the event a laptop gets missing under his custody?  What if a laptop screen gets damaged in his care, or an entire unit gets stolen, how will the owner of such a system write the examination?

    One would expect that in a community of intellectuals, innovative solutions would be provided to situations that slightly deviate from traditional practices. It cannot be argued that the examination poses a challenge to the organizing lecturer. We expect that such challenges should be dealt with properly and in a way that ensures students’ convenience, adherence to examination standards and ethics of fairness.

    If the university could comfortably organize computer based tests for thousands of  students in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME JAMB), why can’t it organize it for about 100 students in just one department? Why ask students to bring their laptops for an examination when UNIBEN has a robust ICT centre equipped with many computer systems. In fact, the faculty of engineering recently built an ICT centre which could also be used to conduct such examination.

    Relevant authorities to look into this matter that could cause a lot of pain for 300 Level mechanical engineering students and those carrying over the course.

    • Edison Osaige

    University of Benin, Ugbowo Campus

  • Osun begins bursary payment

    Osun begins bursary payment

    •Pays N275m WAEC fees

    The Osun State government has started paying the 2012/2013 bursary to indigenes in their final year in tertiary institutions.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Sunday Akere said N207 million had been paid into the accounts of various tertiary institutions, adding that the balance would be paid as soon as the remaining institutions submit the returns of last year’s bursary payment.

    Akere said due to the introduction of the automated payment, N56 million was returned to the government by the institutions last year as unclaimed sum.

    He said N17 million should have been paid to indigenes in law schools, but the payment was delayed because the schools’ managements have not returned the records of last year’s payment to the government.

    The commissioner said students of Osun State origin have been listed to benefit from the Agbami Medical and Engineering Professional Scholarship Scheme for the first time since its inception.

    According to him, 78 students in nine universities have been listed as potential beneficiaries of the scheme.

    Akere said the scheme was based on merit and not the quota system, adding that the students are expected to record an average 60 per cent of their Grade Point or Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result and would undergo a competitive computer test.

    He said the administration has paid N275 million West African Examination Council (WAEC) fee for final year pupils in public secondary schools, adding: “We paid N11,450 per pupil as WAEC fee and N1,850 per pupil as practical fee.”

  • UTME cut-off marks pegged at 180, 150

    UTME cut-off marks pegged at 180, 150

    The Federal Government has released the cut-off marks for admission into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions.

    It has pegged the minimum cut-off mark for admission into universities at 180 and 150 for polytechnics and others.

    The cut-off marks were announced by the Minister of Education in Abuja at the fourth Combined Policy Committee meeting on admissions to tertiary institutions organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Tuesday.

    The cut-off marks were pegged after a heated arguments by stakeholders.

    The minimum benchmarks for admission last year were 180 and 160.

    Argument in favour of creating access to tertiary education and encouraging candidates to attend polytechnics and colleges of education superseded other factors so the cut-off mark for that category of tertiary institutions was pegged at 150.

    JAMB conducted the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination into tertiary institutions between May 18 and June 1 with the introduction of dual-based test (DBT) and computer-based test (CBT) for over 1.7 million candidates.

    In her speech, the Education Minister Prof. Ruqayyah Rufai, emphasised that technical and vocational education and training is one area that the nation must encourage its youths to participate in if Nigeria must move ahead as nation and have competitive advantage.

    Her words: “We should therefore collectively work towards encouraging more of our youths to enrol in our TVET institutions, especially the innovation enterprise institutions, most of which are still having challenges of filling their quotas”

    She added that President Goodluck Jonathan has inaugurated a government-private sector- committee on TVET to support the growth of TVET at all levels.

    Professor Rufa’i urged managements of tertiary institutions to follow the Federal Government’s guidelines on admissions which stipulate 70:30 technology/non-technology ratio for national diploma programmes and 60:40 sciences/arts ratio for degree and Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programmes.

    She said they must also observe the criteria on merit, catchment and educationally- less developed states.

    JAMB Registrar Professor Dibu Ojerinde said that all admissions would come to an end on October 31, noting that late submissions would not be entertained.

     

  • JAMB clears doubt on 2013 UTME results

    JAMB clears doubt on 2013 UTME results

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday reacted to the 192 complaints received from candidates, who sat for the 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    The Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, at a meeting in Abuja with some of the candidates, who filed the complaints, said it was imperative to clear the doubt of the public about the UTME.

    Ojerinde said there was an open complaint from the media, which amounted to a threat to the integrity of the organisation.

    He said of the 192 candidates, who filed their complaints, 132 requested that their examination scripts be remarked, while 63 requested to see their examination scripts.

    Said he: “We are sure of what they scored, we are sure of the situation and we are sure of the true position of things, even with those who claimed that we did not release their results.

    “But in the final analysis, you can see that they did not shade their subjects correctly. How can we release a result that is not known to us?

    “That was why we told the candidates to come on June 10 to see their papers and here we are, together with the complainants.

    “We have been showing them their papers and so far, nobody has been vindicated. I can bet you, the damage done to our integrity is what we have come to redeem.”

    The registrar, who reiterated JAMB’s determination to ensure transparency and accountability in the conduct of its examinations, added that “we have to be able to tell the people how we conducted the exams and how we scored them.”

    The JAMB boss said the organisation was not responsible for the failure of any candidate in the 2013 UTME, stressing that rather, the failure was due to double shedding and not following proper instructions as required.

    He hailed the aggrieved candidates for their boldness in writing their complaints to JAMB.

    He directed that any complainant, who must have paid the requested amount for the verification, should be refunded.

    Some of the complainants said after the meeting that they were not pleased with the way and manner the UTME was conducted.

    A complainant, Miss Chiamaka Nnadika, said she was not satisfied even after seeing her answer script.

    She, however, hailed JAMB for the steps taken to call for such an exercise.

    “Such a meeting should also be held in the states, instead of people travelling from the East and North to Abuja.

    “It will be better if JAMB will organise such meetings in the 36 states of the federation so that people will understand their issues better.”

    Another complainant, Mrs. Queen Wuhu, said she was not happy about the turnout of things.

    “I was wondering why I failed the UTME. That was why I wrote a complaint to JAMB that I wish to see my answer script. But I was shocked with the findings that I was the one who made the mistake by double-shading.

    “This means I am going to lose this year again. I will work harder next year.”

    Also present at the meeting were representatives of the Public Complaints Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).