The Nation Newspaper

Tag: utme

  • JAMB: No hike in UTME registration form

    JAMB: No hike in UTME registration form

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has stated that there is no increase in the registration fee for its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for 2024.

    The board said the cost of purchasing the UTME form remained N3,500 despite an increase in its cost of production.

    JAMB’s public communication advisor, Fabian Benjamin in a statement on Wednesday, said the cost of the Board examination fee remained low to ensure that candidates are not overburdened.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has been drawn to several publications in recent times insinuating that the Board has increased its examination registration fee.

    “This is far from the truth as the cost of obtaining the Board’s UTME application documents remains N3,500, which has been the cost of its application documents since it was brought down from N5,000 in 2018. Therefore, the Board wishes to state that the cost of the application document price has not been increased in spite of the prevailing economic reality in the country which has also affected the cost of the Board’s operations.

    Read Also: Court gives stringent bail conditions for UTME impersonators

    “Consequently, the Board wishes to assure the general public that the Board has been doing all within its powers to ensure that candidates are not overburdened in any way.

    “One of these measures is to deliberately keep cost low hence its decision to make available its Use of English reading text free of charge through a QR code to ensure that the increase in cost of production is not passed to candidates. Therefore, all UTME candidates would access the reading text free of charge through multiple channels, which include their profiles, e-mail addresses, notification slips and the Board’s website.

    “It is, however, pertinent to state the fact that what is being perceived in some quarters as an increment in its fees is nothing other than the fallout of its cashless policy through which all fees payable by candidates to CBT centres have been consolidated and are paid along with their application fees to prevent their wanton exploitation by unscrupulous centre owners.

    “These fees are in turn remitted to partnering centres every week. For instance, candidates are expected to pay N700 for registration, N1500 as examination fees, and N1500 for the optional Mock-UTME at privately – owned centres.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the 2024 UTME/DE e-PIN remains N3500. The registration fee of N700, which is to be paid to CBT centres by candidates, is now to be collected by the Board along with N1500, which is the cost of setting the main UTME, and N1500 as the cost of the optional Mock-UTME etc is to be collected by the Board on behalf of the CBT centres.”

  • Corps member unveils App to address failure in UTME

    Corps member unveils App to address failure in UTME

    A twenty-five-year-old corps member serving in Lagos State, Ologunde Elisha, has  unveiled an app, ‘High School King, to help candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

    Speaking at the unveiling in Lagos, Ologunde said developing the  app stemmed  from the discouraging statistics that only 27 percent  of pupils scored above 200 in JAMB examination. He said the app aims to reverse this trend by providing an innovative and enjoyable way for candidates to enhance their academic knowledge.

    The Fine and Applied Arts graduate of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, said the app would enable secondary school pupils to transform learning through gaming. He described “High School King” as a game and  transformative force for secondary school academics in Nigeria.

    “The app employs cutting-edge features to engage students in their studies through gaming reminiscent of the popular show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” but tailored towards addressing the challenge of mass failure among students,” he said.

    Read Also; Former LAUTECH acting VC Liasu dies at 70

    The guest speaker, a tech expert and Chief Executive Officer of Ogaranya Solution Technology, Lagos, Akinyele Olubodun said the app signifies the power of innovation and dedication to addressing critical issues in education.

    He said it stands as a beacon of hope for transforming the nation’s educational landscape.

    Ologunde  said he  began his career as a hardware engineer, before discovering his love and interest for software development. He praised Olubodun, who discovered the best in him.

    “Having been deployed to Lagos State for my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), my motivation for creating the app grew largely,” he said.

    Principal Education Officer at Education District IV, Mrs. Jones Ololade, urged  youths to imitate the corps member, adding that it will further improve education in the country.

    The event featured a quiz competition which awarded various prizes to four winners.

    One of them, Durojaye Mujeeb, was crowned the “High School King” for 2023.

    Among the schools that attended the event was Lagos City Senior College under the Lagos State Education  District IV.

  • Institution launches App for UTME preparation

    Institution launches App for UTME preparation

    ProU Education, Africa’s higher learning institution and early career management platform, has launched an App to aid candidates’ preparation for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    In a statement, Founder of ProU Education, Dr. Piyush Jain, said the app known as ‘JAMB-Early with ProU’ is aimed at empowering  pupils/candidates to be successful in the UTME.

     “JAMB examination preparation digital solutions will aid in revamping traditional exam preparation, fostering personalised learning experiences, pinpointing areas for improvement and recommending learning strategies. With bite-sized video lessons and mock exams to ensure JAMB exam readiness, we are taking on the challenge to increase students’ success rate,” he said.

    Read Also: Many feared dead, other trapped as storey building collapses in Abuja

    He said the preparation modules  can be accessed with N10,000 on the institution’s website or through the ProU App which could be downloaded on Android Play store.

    “Whether browsing on the website or using an Android phone, ProU app equips candidates for JAMB 2024 with a whopping array of resources: over 300 hours of video lessons in the 10 most popular subjects, and mock exams with questions from last 15 years across 28 subjects. Designed by skilled educators in  Nigeria and India,  it is infused with top technological expertise and propelled by Swiss-accredited learning standards,” he said.

    Piyush said the app offers the first five video lessons for each subject free, adding that it also offers specialised career guidance.

    He said as from next month, candidates can access the modules.

    “The ProU app consists easy-to-grasp tutorial videos, explanations of JAMB topics and questions. For extra clarity and comprehension of tricky topics, it allows engagement with seasoned tutors through interactive forums. Candidates can also test their level of preparation with mock exams tool to ensure real-world exam readiness,” he added.

  • UTME: Malpractice, impersonation have reduced, says Oloyede

    UTME: Malpractice, impersonation have reduced, says Oloyede

    Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede has stated the level of malpractice and impersonation in Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has  reduced drastically following measures put in place by the board. 

    Oloyede said he was impressed that malpractice and impersonation had reduced nationwide and now below the international standard in terms of percentage.

    “The level of malpractice and impersonation have reduced drastically. I am impressed that throughout the country it has become very minimal. In fact, it is now below the international standard in terms of the percentage. We have better devices to determine what is happening in centres and the system won’t allow it,”  he said.

    Addressing journalists in Lagos at the weekend when monitoring the examination across centres, he commended the conduct of the UTME nationwide. He also hailed Lagos centres for performing well.

    The JAMB Registrar monitored the examination in West African Examination Council Testing  and Training Centre in Ogba, Lagos; JKK Ilupeju and the University of Lagos,among others.

    He said challenges in States like Kwara, Borno and Niger  on the first day  were addressed with the creation of a fourth session for candidates to write the examination.

    Read Also : 947,000 write 2023 UTME

    Oloyede noted that JAMB was committed to the cause of visually-impaired candidates  and those with other forms of disability.

    “I am happy that the committee handling the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) under the leadership of Prof. Peter Okebukola is doing a good job. We are giving a sense of belonging to those incapacitated by one disability or the other. They are happy the nation cares about them,” he said.

    He also said though accredited  CBT centres have improved as level of complaints about them has  reduced, there was room for improvement because of human factor.

    The JAMB Registrar hailed the National Identity Management Commission,the telcos and other stakeholders for their support.

    END.

  • I targeted 370, says Ekene, UTME best candidate

    When he was preparing for the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Ekene Franklin Ezeunala said his target was to make a score of 370 out of a possible 400.

    The SS3 pupil of Meiran Community Secondary School, Meiran, Lagos, made 347 – and he is still happy with himself.

    “I tried to make a good score while preparing for the examination.

    “The score I was targeting was 370.  I still feel happy that I still achieved a good result,” said the public school pupil.

    Ekene, who will turn 15 in 13 days (May 27), said he was shocked to be announced the candidate with the highest score in the examination.

    “When I first heard I was the highest, I was a bit shocked.  But I became glad and happy.”

    The teenager said regular participation in competitions on behalf of Lagos State helped his preparations.

    “The competitions impacted positively on my preparation.  Some of the subjects I did I had done them in preparing for the competitions and met the same thing in the exams,” he said.

    Ekene wants to study Chemical Engineering in the university – for the love of it and to impact the society.

    He said he was already working on some bio-fuel research to reduce carbon emissions in Nigeria.

    Read also: Lagos celebrates pupil for topping UTME nationwide

    “I want to study Chemical Engineering because I feel that chemistry and technology can impact the general public and society in various ways; and personally, I have a flair for chemistry,” he said.

    Ekene’s mother, Mrs. Chinelo Ezeunala, a Chemistry teacher at Hightree College, a private school in Berger, Lagos, said she was happy about her son’s feat.

    The Chemistry graduate said her son has always shown brilliance in his education and as a result skipped some classes in primary school.

    “He started school early at two years plus because I was serving when I had him.

    “He attended Philthel Primary School, Akoka.  The school was owned by a professor teaching at the University of Lagos.  But the woman is late now.

    “In primary school he was very bright so he was promoted twice that was why he is 14 years in SS3,” she said.

    Mrs. Ezeunala learnt of a scholarship offer by Gregory University, Uturu, Abia State from this reporter.

    When asked if she would allow the boy to go, she said it would be discussed as a family.

    She said the family was not buoyant enough to afford private university fees if the offer was not a full scholarship.

     She said her husband was a retired staff of the defunct NITEL where he worked as a technician and had experienced hard luck in his efforts at running businesses.

    She said: “We are not really well off and we cannot afford private university fees.  If it is full scholarship, my opinion is ‘why not?’”

  • Why we are yet to release UTME results, by JAMB

    THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board yesterday explained why it has not released the results of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    Some of the candidates engaged in massive fraud and impersonation, thus putting their results in doubt, the board said.

    JAMB’s Head of Information Dr. Fabian Benjamin told reporters in Abuja yesterday that the board has started screening the results of all the candidates who wrote the examination and that it would release it as soon as it the process is concluded.

    Benjamin said: “We will not release the results in a hurry. We will do a lot of crosschecking and matchmaking to be sure that nobody that was engaged in illicit act will go scot free.

    “We will release the results as soon as we finish checking the results to ensure that all those ones that we caught in various illicit registration acts are properly dealt with and those that we could not arrest are withheld.

    “We will release the results when we finish doing our screening. We are screening the whole results. We don’t have the numbers now but we won’t release any result until we are sure of the whole thing.”

    Benjamin said the board has arrested over 100 persons for impersonation and other fraudulent practices during the examination.

    According to him, the board would fish out anyone who was engaged in sharp practices during the examination through their results and withhold them.

    Read also: JAMB gives update on 2019 UTME exams process, results

    The JAMB spokesperson said: “We are picking them across the nation. As at today, we have picked up over a hundred candidates and we are still picking.

    “Though we may not be able to pick all of them because of logistics problem and the state but what we are doing now for those we could not  pick who may have written the exam and gone, we are fishing them out true their result.”

    Benjamin also said the board was investigating cases of biometric verification failure in some states.

    He assured that the board would do the needful once it finished its investigation and found the reported cases to be genuine.

    The JAMB spokesman said: “We will not be able to say genuine now until we do our due diligence. We are investigating because I told you that we have cases of illicit registration and we discovered that some of them created some scene when they discovered that their time for the exams clashed and they could not write the exam.

    “We are giving everybody the benefit of doubt. We will look at all the perimeters and ensure that no one whose case is actually genuine suffers injustice. When we finish our exams we will be able to look at the whole thing (biometric issues).”

    At some Computer Based Test (CBT) centres in Lagos, the biometric verification delayed the kickoff of the examination.

    However, many candidates said they experienced little or no problem with equipment failure for the examination which ended yesterday nationwide.

    At Bufuto Institute of Management and Information Technology, Egbe, a candidate, who simply called herself Uche, said her examination did not start by 9am as scheduled because of the slow verification process.

    Uche said: “We did not start on time because after the biometrics, we had to wait until everybody has settled down then we were drilled on the dos and don’ts of the examination. There was no computer failure in my centre.”

    Another candidate at the same centre, Amaka, who did her examination in the third batch (1.30pm), also said she experienced delayed verification.

    “I did my examination by 1:30 and finished after 4pm. There was no equipment failure although we did not start on time because the biometrics took longer. They drilled us on how to operate the system. We thumb printed out,” she said.

    At the two CBT centres at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), the examination went smoothly when The Nation visited.  There were no complaints about equipment failure.

    Mrs. Margaret Abe, Biometric Verification Officer for YABATECH Centre Two, said there were no issues.

    “We had 240 candidates of 250 for the 7-9a.m session; 242 for the 9.a.m session; and 241 for the 1.30pm session.  We had no issue with biometric; everything went smoothly,” she said.

    Biometric Verification Officer for YABATECH Centre One, Mrs. Adebimpe Adesua, also said most of the candidates in her centre showed up and had no issues with the verification.

    “For the first session we had 246 candidates; second session, 242 and third, we have 246. God will not allow us to have any problem with biometric verification.  It was part of my prayer point before coming that the candidates would not have problem with verification because if they cannot be verified effectively they cannot write the examination and that will be so sad,” she said.

    Some candidates in some other centres were not so lucky with their computers, as they had to contend with delays.

    Aisha Oseni, who wrote the exam at the Institute of Criminal Justice and Criminology Administration, Festac, said her centre experienced network failure on the first day of the examination.

    She said: “My jamb examination was for 1:30 that is the third batch. In my centre, some computers tripped off due to network failure, but were restored back and we thumb printed out.’’

    Samuel, another candidate, whose centre was at 11-30 event halls, Solebo junction, Ebute, Ikorodu, also experienced some set back.

    “The system was tripping off. It delayed my exam for about 20 minutes but thank God I wrote well,” he said.

  • Candidates’ hard choice

    The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) clashed for five days , affecting many candidates who had to forego one for the other. Some parents and teachers are worried about the implication of this for the admission seekers. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE, BUSOLA SEBIOTIMO and Zainab lawal report.

    THE 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) ended yesterday with some of the 1.8 million candidates who are also writing the 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) forced to miss their Trade/Entrepreneurship Subject papers.

    The WASSCE for School Candidates began April 8 with Catering Craft Practice, Marketing and Salesmanship – all entrepreneurship subjects which are compulsory for all SS3 pupils writing the examination.  The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) scheduled all the 24 trade/entrepreneurial subjects being offered in the curriculum to be written from April 8 to April 25.

    However, a shift in the date of the 2019 utme by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) because of the rescheduled elections resulted in a clash in both examinations.

    The six-day UTME held in 700 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide from April 11-13, and 15-17, fell within the WASSCE timetable.

    Read also: Why we are yet to release UTME results, by JAMB

    Before the examination,  WAEC Nigeria and JAMB had pledged that there would be no clash.  WAEC Nigeria’s Head, Public Affairs, Mr. Demianus Ojijeogu told The Nation at the examining body’s headquarters in Yaba, Lagos, that the Council would address the clash “internally and administratively.” He said candidates would not sacrifice one examination for the other.

    “I assure you that no candidate would miss their exams.  We are working on it.  The JAMB Registrar is in touch with the WAEC Head of National Office (HNO) and we will sort it out internally,” he said.

    The JAMB Public Relations Officer, Dr Fabian Benjamin, also told The Nation on phone that the examining body had been told by WAEC that there would be no clash.

    “The registrar has reached out to the HNO and he was assured that there would be no clash,” he said.

    However, findings by The Nation proved otherwise. Schools said they were not told about a change in the timetable to address the clash.

    Mr. Oluwasegun Owoeye of Ilupeju Senior Grammar School, Oshodi, lamented that WAEC did not communicate any changes to the school.  Principal of Mind Builders High School, Ikeja, also said the school did not hear from WAEC.

    Fortunately for them, pupils of both schools were not affected by the clash.

    Owoeye said the school’s chosen entrepreneurship subject was done before the UTME began.

    “The students here do Office Practice and that has been done before UTME started. WAEC did not change the timetable and these subjects that are clashing with the UTME are offered by the minority,” he said.

    Continue in page 2

  • UTME: 50 exam contractors held

    FIFTY professional examination writers have been arrested in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said yesterday.

    The board said the impostors were arrested nationwide following its intelligence gathering mechanism.

    JAMB’s spokesperson Fabian Benjamin made the revelation in the agency’s weekly bulletin.

    Fabian identified some of the professional examination writers as Masters’ degree holders, postgraduate and undergraduate students of various tertiary institutions in the country.

    He said the professional writers connived with owners and operators of Computer Based Test Centres (CBTs) to carry out the crime by engaging in multiple registrations where the fingerprints of the main candidates are captured side by side with that of the impostors.

    The bulletin reads: “The board has uncovered a group of professional examination writers who take the exams for prospective candidates for a fee.

    “As a result of intelligence gathering, over 50 of such writers have been arrested across the country.

    “Some of the fraudsters are Masters’ Degree holders, postgraduate and undergraduate students of tertiary institutions.

    “The modus operandi of these UTME syndicates was confirmed when one of the kingpins was apprehended recently.”

    Dr. Fabian said the culprit confessed to have done multiple registrations of his biometric along with several other candidates with the intention of sitting for them and collecting huge sums of money from the candidates.

    The bulletin further said: “This Development is the fundamental reason for the decision of the board to revalidate all biometrics of candidates that have taken the board’s examination in recent times.

    “This timely action would enable the board to not only fish out and dismantle these registration cartels and racketeers but also bring them to book along with their collaborators.”

    Also, Fabian said 1, 236, 316 candidates out of the 1.8 million registered has so far taken the examination.

    “A total of 1,886,238 UTME candidates are expected to sit nationwide. And, 1,236,316 candidates have so far taken their examination,” it added.

  • Computer rejects UTME candidates in Anambra

    No fewer than 10 candidates for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Anambra State failed to participate in the examination due to failure of the computer to confirm their thumbprint. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent,  who monitored the UTME in Awka on Friday, reports that the affected candidates for the examination were walked out of the hall because the computers could not confirm them as candidates.

    Some of the candidates who spoke to NAN expressed shock that the computers rejected them after printing out their details. one of the affected candidates, Miss Chiamaka Okoro, said she registered for the UTME with a centre at Basilica of the Holy Trinity Center at Onitsha but was asked to leave the hall when the com puter could not confirm her candidacy for the exam.

    Okoro said that she had lodged her complaint at the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office in Awka as was directed by its official at the centre. Mr Paschal Okoro, the father of the candidate, described the experience as `embarrassing’ saying that a letter had been submitted to the Abuja office through the Awka JAMB office. He called on the examination body to work on the correction process as soon as possible to enable the students participate in the ongoing examination.

    Another candidate whose thumb print was rejected by computer, Miss Francisca Onuzulike said that her details were not also confirmed at her exam centre adding that she had already lodged her complaints to JAMB. Onuzulike however, said that there was no specific as surance from JAMB officers but that her complaint was documented in a paper given to them. On her part, Miss Amarachi Orjiaka, said that her thumb print was not popping up during her verification at her Army Day Centre in Onitsha which led to her not taking part in the April 11 examination scheduled for 7am.

    Orjiaka said that the mix up was very demoralising and appealed to the examination body to take quick action and create a date for her own examination. Meanwhile, Miss Ngozi Nwude a senior officer at Integral Development Consults IDK,Computer Based Test (CBT) approved centre in Awka metropolis said that the UTME was moving on well in the centre Nwude said that some of their candidates had thumb print confirmation problem and that their records had been taken and incident form given to the affected candidates to fill for actions to be taken by the appropriate body.

    She said outside the thumb print confirmation that there was no other problem encountered so far while the examination progressed. Miss Charity Uboma, a candidate of the centre told NAN that she experienced no hitches while answering her questions. Miss Grace Kachi, another candidate from the IDK centre said that she preferred the CBT to pencil and paper examinations. NAN reports that the JAMB officers refused to speak to the correspondent who was in the office to ascertain the situation of the examinations in the state. The agency also reports that 33 approved CBT centres exist in Anambra and that UTME was ongoing in the state. (NAN)

  • Computer rejects some JAMB candidates in Anambra

    No fewer than 10 candidates for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Anambra failed to participate in the examination due to failure of the computer to confirm their thumbprint.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who monitored the UTME in Awka on Friday, reports that the affected candidates for the examination were walked out of the hall because the computers could not confirm them as candidates.

    Some of the candidates who spoke to NAN expressed shock that the computers rejected them after printing out their details.

    Miss Chiamaka Okoro said she registered for the UTME with a centre at Basilica of the Holy Trinity center at Onitsha but was asked to leave the hall when the computer could not confirm her candidacy for the exam.

    Okoro said that she had lodged her complaint at the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office in Awka as was directed by its official at the centre.

    Mr Paschal Okoro, the father of the candidate, described the experience as `embarrassing’ saying that a letter had been submitted to the Abuja office through Awka JAMB office.

    He called on the examination body to work on the correction process as soon as possible to enable the students participate in the ongoing examination.

    Miss Francisca Onuzulike said that her details was not also confirmed at her exam centre adding that she had already lodged her complaints to JAMB.

    Onuzulike however, said that there was no specific assurance from JAMB officers but that her complaint was documented in a paper given to them.

    Miss Amarachi Orjiaka said that her thumb print was not popping up during her verification at her Army Day centre in Onitsha which led to her not taking part in the April 11 examination scheduled for 7am.

    Orjiaka said that the mix up was very demoralising and appealed to the examination body to take quick action and create a date for her own examination.

    Meanwhile, Miss Ngozi Nwude a senior officer at Integral Development Consults IDK,Computer Based Test (CBT) approved centre in Awka metropolis said that the UTME was moving on well in the centre

    Read also: Candidates urge JAMB to upgrade computers for calculations

    Nwude said that some of their candidates had thumb print confirmation problem and that their records had been taken and incident form given to the affected candidates to fill for actions to be taken by the appropriate body.

    She said outside the thumb print confirmation that there was no other problem encountered so far while the examination progressed.

    Miss Charity Uboma, a candidate of the centre told NAN that she experienced no hitches while answering her questions.

    Miss Grace Kachi, another candidate from the IDK centre said that she preferred the CBT to pencil and paper examinations.

    NAN reports that the JAMB officers refused to speak to the correspondent who was in the office to ascertain the situation of the examinations in the state.

    The agency also reports that 33 approved CBT centres exist in Anambra and that UTME was ongoing in the state. (NAN)