The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) just conducted the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), in which no fewer than 1.6 million candidates were slated to take part between Tuesday, April 25 and Wednesday, May 4, 2023.
The exercise, which was wholly conducted through the use of the Computer Based Test (CBT), started on a not so palatable note, as candidates who took part in the examination experienced technical glitches in most of the accredited centres.
The glitches were so wide spread that the examination body was forced to reschedule the exercise in 100 centres across the country, which affected about 80,000 candidates, a development confirmed in a statement by JAMB’s Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Fabian Benjamin.
“It is to be noted that about 100 centres out of the 708 centres participating in the 2023 UTME exercise across the country, experienced technical challenges that prevented their allotted candidates from successfully taking their examination,” JAMB noted. The statement further explained that the series of challenges encountered was on account of some novel features deployed by the board to safeguard the sanctity of the examination by checkmating all incidences of examination misconduct being perpetrated and perpetuated by vested interests.
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But, one of the examination centres’ coordinator, while talking to this paper said, the glitches experienced during the examination were as a result of the non-testing of the new software introduced by JAMB in the various centres to determine their compatibility with their own computer systems.
Be that as it may, it was a disruptive moment for the candidates affected and their parents, as many of them had to take the test far away from their place of residence.
A parent to one of the candidates who was assigned to write the examination in Flourish Computer Centre, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Victor Etienam, expressed his disappointment over the poor conduct of the exercise.
He said the management of the centre not only failed to conduct the exams, which were to hold in three streams – one each in the morning, afternoon and evening – they also left them in the dark as to the fate of the children.
Mr Etienam said, “I brought my son here as he was to write exams by 9am, but I discovered that the first batch that went in for the exams by 7am were frustrated and came out crying, saying that the system collapsed.
“The management said they would call in the experts and the problem would be fixed, that the system would be okay for the second batch. But when the second batch was later called in, they stayed for over three hours and came out crying, saying that the system opened for only five minutes and then went off”.
There are many parents with similar if not more challenging stories with regards to the JAMB exams. Sadly also, this is not the first year that the UTME would be marred by hitches and other challenges. In 2022, where 1.7 million candidates registered, hundreds of them in Lagos and Ogun states were left stranded and frustrated as a result of downpour and system glitch, which combined to disrupt the examination.
We understand the need to imbibe the use of technology in the conduct of examinations, but following the years of experiments and complaints that trail the exercises, we believe it is time for JAMB, to review the arrangement.
The modus operandi of JAMB and the conduct of the exams should be revisited, so that it can consider other options. Taking into consideration the fact that not all candidates are exposed to the same circumstances, nothing stops JAMB from using the paper based test, alongside the current CBT method.
It is unfortunate that we still face challenges with the CBT, eight years after it was fully introduced in 2015. Going forward, JAMB should make sure that all the accredited centres across are carried are screened to ensure that they are ready and capable of conducting the exercise.
While we commend JAMB for its efforts in combating the issue of impersonation and for cancelling the registrations of no fewer than 817 candidates that registered to sit for the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations and Direct Entry examinations in 178 centres due to one infraction or the other, we call on the board to re-accredit all the examination centres and weed out those who are technically deficient for a smooth and hitch-free examination.
The ICT-enhanced system of the examination body should be subjected to constant review until it is properly fortified to save candidates, parents and guardians from the physical, emotional and financial stress they go through year-in year-out.
JAMB should also not prioritise remittance of money to the coffers of the federal government over and above conducting examinations that are credible, seamless and stress-free. It will make no sense to return money you generate to the government when the money can be better utilised in building a system that is very critical to the present and future of our country. But as a body responsible for organising the exam, they must find a way to deal with the challenges and organise a hitch-free exam.
