Tag: utme

No fewer than 61 blind candidates on Tuesday, April 23, sat for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Enugu centre under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG).

The candidates are part of the 577 others writing the examination nationwide.

The examination, held at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), saw the candidates drawn from nine states of southeast and south-south regions namely: Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states.

Our correspondent, who monitored the exam, observed that the candidates included those with blindness, autism, down syndrome, and other challenges that saw the candidates writing with all sorts of writing aides depending on their disability, such as brailles, typewriters, stylos while some others wrote with pens.

Speaking with newsmen on the exercise, the coordinator of the UTME Blind Enugu Centre, Prof. Mosto Onuoha explained that JAMB had introduced the blind UTME programme to give people with special needs an equal opportunity to achieve their dreams of going to the university or other higher institutions of learning.

Onuoha, who is a former deputy Vice Chancellor of UNN, and former president of Nigeria Academy of Science, said: “What is important is that JAMB recognizes that people should have opportunities, especially the physically challenged.

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“This is a different kind of exam because they can’t do computer-based tests(CBT).

“We read the questions for them and options. They provide the answers. The only difference is that we extend their time for them”.

Another member of the committee and provost, Federal College of Education (Technical), Isu, Ebonyi State, Prof. Okey Okechukwu, disclosed that in order to encourage and motivate the candidates, JAMB took care of their transportation, feeding and accommodation for three days with those of their guides starting from Sunday when they arrived till Wednesday when they would depart to their various states.

Prof. Okechukwu used the opportunity to call on the governors of the Southeast and Southsouth, the local government areas chairmen and traditional rulers to create awareness among people with disabilities to enable them access services of the JAMB.

According to him, with adequate awareness especially to parents of disabled persons, more candidates would be motivated to sit for the JAMB examinations.

“I’m using this opportunity to appeal to the governors in the Southeast and their Southsouth counterparts to create awareness so that many parents will get to know this kind of arrangement JAMB has put in place to encourage and motivate them so that we get more candidates in future”, Okechukwu said.

Over 260,000 candidates yesterday sat for this year’s Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Mock UTME) in 793 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country.

The JAMB Registrar/Chief Executive, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, announced this after monitoring the exam in some centres in Abuja.

Oloyede, who expressed delight over the seamless conduct of the exercise nationwide, said the exam was meant to test the preparedness of the board for the main UTME, which will begin today across the country.

The registrar said the examination body also successfully conducted recruitment examinations for the police on Wednesday, adding that the only incidents recorded in the Mock – UTME in about four centres would be resolved.

Read Also: UTME: 260,000 sat for mock exam, says JAMB registrar Oloyede

He said: “So far so good. We are doing mock after mock. Just yesterday, we conducted recruitment for the Police Service Commission (PSC) throughout the country. That was a mock before today’s mock, and that was in 411 centres across the country. Today, we are conducting our own mock in 793 centres across the country.

“So far, we have about three or four places where they have one issue or the other, but we are trying to get over that. So, it is a good one; even those three (where there were issues), we will have a way of accommodating them, even if they go down completely. But everything is going on well. The reports we have is that we are very okay.”

Oloyede also said 1.98 million candidates registered for the main 2024 UTME, out of which over 260,000 took part in the mock exam.

The Federal High Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State, has convicted an undergraduate of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba for impersonation and examination malpractice during the conduct of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Presiding Judge, Justice T Adegoke in a Judgement delivered on 5th March found the defendant, Adesuyi Feranmi guilty on a two-count charge of conspiracy and examination impersonation.

Justice Adegoke convicted the defendant to a one-year imprisonment on count one and also convicted him on Count two to a one year imprisonment.

The conviction would run concurrently.

The court also gave the convict an option of a fine of N100,000.00 on count one and another option of a fine of N100,000.00 in count two, totaling N200,000.00.

Adesuyi, 29, was apprehended on April 28th, 2023 at Amable Nig Ltd CBT center, Owo during the 2023 UTME in Ondo State while impersonating one Sanusi Tunde at the point of the biometric verification exercise. 

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Following conflicting and mismatch data and testimonials and confession he was handed over to security operatives for further investigation and consequently his arraignment.

The charge list said Adesuyi committed an offence of examination malpractice and felony contrary to section 10 of examination malpractices Act, Cap E15, LFN 2004 and punishable under section 3(2)(c) of Examination Malpractice Act, Cap E15 Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Last month, an Abuja Grade A court also sentenced a computer-based test (CBT) centre owner to jail for the act of infractions.

The lawmaker representing Somolu Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Ademorin Kuye has distributed 500 free UTME forms to residents of Somolu and Bariga.

He said the Educational Support Initiative (ESI) which started in 2018 was aimed at giving the masses in his constituency equal opportunity for education.

The current edition, named “Kuye 2024 Free JAMB/UTME,” featured a two-day screening held at Hon. Kuye’s Shomolu constituency office in Bariga LCDA, Lagos.

Speaking on the initiative, the Chairperson, Titilayo Lawanson, reiterated that it was put together to benefit the Somolu Federal Constituency in particular.

She said to qualify, candidates were required to possess a minimum of five credits which must include English and Mathematics at a maximum of two sittings, those awaiting results were automatically disqualified; compulsorily come with copies of SSCE result(s), Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) Card, and passport photograph.

Read Also: 2024 UTME: JAMB okays 747 CBT centres for registration, examination

Lawanson added that others above 18 years of age must show a Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) as a sign of readiness to perform his/her civic responsibility as a citizen and generate a profile code before coming for the exercise.

“So Honorable Kuye wants the people to benefit because some of our parents don’t have the financial capacity with the current situation in the country. So, that’s why he deemed it fit to assist the candidates and I’m happy that he has done it”, she said.

One of the beneficiaries, Adelaja Oyinkansola, a graduate of Eva Adelaja Senior Secondary School, Bariga thanked the donor for the gesture.

For Osho Babatunde, another beneficiary, the initiative has restored hope to many who are financially challenged.