…As Students Hail Position

Students in Rivers State are rejoicing over the advice of the members of the Federal House of Representatives to stay action on the use of computers in the forthcoming United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UMTE).

The students were of the view that electronic examination was not in the interest of the students now since computer is not at every ones disposal.

Speaking with our reporter on Wednesday, in Port Harcourt, one of the students, Ikechi Igwe, said the planned electronic UMTE Examination, would have ushered in a serious malpractice into the system.

He said that the move by the Rep members is not only timely but commendable, adding that God has answered the prayers of the poor man.

He wondered how the use of computers for examination of such standing could have been possible considering the poor power supply system in the country.

Another student, Lilian Otugbuala, argued that the planned electronic examination was a clear attempt to confuse students who are not yet computer literate.

She noted that the UTME examination which was scheduled two weeks by the organizers (JAMB), need not mean well for the Nigerian students.

Otugbuala narrated how the plan has already caused some panic among the students, saying that Nigeria should properly introduce computer education to its curriculum even from the nursery levels.

Other respondents like, Joy Obim Eke, said the system would have also exposed the incompetence of some unserious students who depend on other people’s work.

Eke, also accepted that reading culture among the students is on the decline, saying that concerned authorities should ensure that all examination in the country should be written via the computer.

As at the time of filing in this report, it remained unclear whether the authorities of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will welcome the idea as no official statement has come from them.

It will be recalled that the JAMB registration official Prof Dibu Ojerinde, announced that subsequent JAMB examination will be conducted through computer after the 1012 edition.