The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, organizers of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, has banned
the use of wrist watches and pens during the conduct of its 2018 test. The board’s Registrar, Is’haq Oloyede disclosed this to
journalists on the sideline of a one-day sensitization workshop for Computer
Based Test, CBT, center owners on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to him, the essence of the workshop is to appraise
the registration and conduct of the 2017 examination.
“What we are doing here today is to appraise the
registration and conduct of our past examination and we have taken some lessons
from our experience.
“To this end therefore we have introduced some measures that
will further add to the integrity of the registration process as well as the
conduct of the examination proper.
“For instance, we discovered during the conduct of the last
examination that some electronic devices such as pens, wristwatches and other devices
were used to perpetrate examination malpractice.
“So, for next year, we have banned the use of wristwatches
and pens by candidates and other persons in the examination hall.
“We are also going to introduce some detection devices to
ensure that those who plan to cheat in the examination hall are frustrated, as
we will also jam (communication network) of the centres,” he said.
Mr. Oloyede noted that the sale of the registration document
for the 2018 UTME would commence before the end of November.
“We are planning to meet with all stakeholders on November
15 and the sale of the registration document will definitely commence before
the end of this month.
“But before that, we expect candidates to go and download
our app, go to our website and download the syllabus and brochure, so that they
can now study the process.
“This is in order to minimise the errors that usually occurs
during the registration process,” he said.
The JAMB boss added that not less than 617 centres have been
accredited nationwide for the exercise.
“We are still considering about 60 more centres as we have
their applications waiting for consideration.
“However, a total of 72 centres nationwide have earlier been
delisted owing to their involvement in some infractions and they remain
delisted.”
On the board’s plan to construct mega CBT centres for its
examinations, Mr. Oloyede said: “The mega centre plan is still on, we said that
last year.
“But the process of planning will take some time.
“There will be design, there will be contact with private
operators, just as there will be advertisements and also due process will be
followed,” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Oloyede called for the support of the CBT
centre owners in checking anti-examination activities capable of compromising
the examination.
“While thanking you for your diligence during the 2017
examination, we want to seize this opportunity to inform you of the flagging
off of the 2018 exercise.
“We will like to also assure you that we will make use of
the best CBT centres in the coming examination.
“You will be culpable if you do not expose any CBT centre
that is doing what is evil because they will attract condemnation from all of
us.
“It is on this premise that we are appealing that you assist
us in identifying the bad eggs among you and ensuring that they do not
participate in our activities,” he said.
According to him, monitoring starts from the time of arrival
of the centre owners to the workshop.
He added that during the 2018 UTME examination, the board
would include some other requirements for CBT centres.
“We are not going to accept wireless CCTV cameras. Any
examination conducted in any CBT centre that we cannot monitor from Abuja will
not be paid for.
“The onus is on you to ensure that your CCTV are working and
must be on and no CBT centre is allowed to sell any kind of materials under the
guise of past questions.
“We will also not tolerate candidates leaving the centre to
go out to use the toilet. It is expected that all accredited CBT centres have
an in-house convenience,” Mr. Oloyede said.
(NAN)
