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JAMB: ‘Only 10 Candidates Can Use Computer In A Hall Of 250’
An invigilator at the just concluded Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, has taken to the social media to share what is a shocking revelation about the computer literacy level of the prospective higher institution students.
Since the introduction of the Computer Based Test (CBT) in 2013, there have been the challenges of students mastering the act of using the computer, which has led to various shortcomings after the examinations.
Eniolaoluwa, who was an invigilator, shared on her Twitter handle her experience during the weeklong examinations.
“Okay so I just finished invigilating JAMB exams and all I can say is we have a very big problem that we are not aware of.
“In a hall of about 250 JAMB candidates, only 10 can successfully use a computer system. The rest cannot just understand how the computer works; they are terrified at the sight of a mouse.
“They cannot left click, they cannot pick their answers using the mouse or the keyboard, they cannot scroll, they cannot delete when they make a mistake, and they cannot locate letters on the keyboard.
“And JAMB has tried cos the candidates have the opportunity of doing mock exams, the purpose of mock is to expose them to computers and let them know what to expect in the day of their exams.
“Before they start the exam, JAMB has provided a short video for them, the video shows them how their questions will look like, how to answer questions, how to use the mouse, etc but some of them will call you and insist their pictures and reg numbers are not on the videos. How?
“The front page of their rough sheets also has instructions on how to use the computer. You can successfully write JAMB exam without using the keyboard, there are letters you can use and it is explicitly stated on the front page of their rough sheets but no.
“They still don’t understand how to go about it. One of the candidates called me and told me he wanted to submit, I looked at the screen and realised he hasn’t answered any question; apparently he has been double clicking.
“On the letters of the options, n then it highlights and he thinks he has picked the answers. He hasn’t answered any questions and at that time they had just 10mins to go, now tell me, how does he want to pass the exam?
“Meanwhile on the rough sheet and in the video it is clearly stated, press A if the answer is option A, press B if the answer is option B, etc, press S to submit, press N for previous and so but these candidates cannot just do it.
“Some submit without answering any questions, a candidate left after answering about 40 questions out of 180. If the computer hibernates all they just need to do is shake the mouse some would raise it up in the air…please how? Some would start saying prayers in Yoruba!
“Some cannot type in their reg number, they don’t know how to. At the front page of their rough sheets, JAMB explained the use of nine keys, a candidate called me to tell me he has ticked the nine keys on the rough sheet. I was like what the?
“Most cannot construct a simple sentence in English, you will start hearing ‘Iaff submit’, ‘I aff write it’, ‘ezzz not press’. Some will turn it to pidgin ‘I no fit do am’. My Yoruba people will say ‘edakunkote’, ‘mi o ri se’. Guys, it is bad.
“That means students that go to private schools are in the minority cos at the end of the day over 1000 candidates did their jamb in my center and about 50 can use the computer well. The restNahhhh.
“I asked one of them and he told me they have the only abacus in their school, ABACUS!!!! Do some secondary schools use abacus??? He said he has never seen a computer in his life. Of cos, we had this conversation in Yoruba cos we were struggling with English.
“They cannot comprehend, cos, if you ask them to explain the instructions at the front page of their rough sheet they cannot that, means they don’t understand what is written there, how then do they want to follow instructions if they can’t comprehend.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.