UTME: Addressing Identified Lapses

The administration of the 2015 Uni
    fied Tertiary Matriculation Exami
    nation (UTME) across Nigeria recently elicited widespread public condemnation following obvious lapses and irregularities.
Infact, not too long ago, many candidates in Port Harcourt went on rampage after the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) office failed to deliver on promises.
According to reports, not only were the candidates exploited financially, they were made to report at the JAMB office for weeks to collect their accreditation papers.
There are indeed, several issues before, during and after the examinations that cannot be ignored in the public interest.
These issues, of course, bring to the fore the gains and pains of the JAMB’s Computer Based-Test (CBT) mode which is intended to restore sanity and quality to the conduct of the UTME that had been trailed by malpractices, cheating, and cutting of corners.
Piqued by the rising cases of massive examination malpractices and special centres, use of mercenaries to write the UTME by candidates, as well as late arrival of examination materials during examinations, among other forms of examination fraud, the JAMB Board in 2013, decided to introduce the CBT mode for the conduct of its examinations.
Consequently, 2015 was set as the deadline for the adoption of the technology for all candidates writing the UTME with a view to nipping in the bud the alarming rate of examination malpractice which had defied all forms of anti-fraud policies and measures.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, had, ahead of the use of CBT mode in 2013, at a media briefing cited several reasons the mode of testing had become imperative, which according to him, include its flexibility, security, efficiency and being time-bound.
Advising that Nigerians should be prepared for the challenges that could come with the new development, Ojerinde insisted that ‘there shall be no alternative to CBT as all our candidates would have to face it.”
Thus, when JAMB made good its promise a fortnight ago by using the CBT mode in the conduct of its examinations nationwide, not a few stakeholders, particularly parents and stakeholders doubted its ability to make it hitch-free.
True to fears expressed during the examinations, some candidates had to worry over faulty computers, implementation of rules and others, while a handful complained about the release of their results which should have been ready within a day.
Still many candidates were faced with the challenge of abrupt shutting of computer systems and thumbprints that did not match what was filled, thus forcing them back home dejectedly without writing their tests.
The Tide thinks that while it should be made mandatory for computer application to be taught in secondary schools to make the CBT mode easy, the identified lapses in this year’s exams should be addressed seriously. The issue of candidates not able to access the JAMB website and the due accreditation of candidates not done until few days to the exams cannot be in the interest of the candidates.
JAMB must also find a way of dealing with its staff who took money from the candidates and contributed in the chaotic situation that endangered the lives of many.