Gabriel Dike
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has sanctioned 50 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres nationwide for alleged examination fraud, night registration, illegal collection of money and other offenses during the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Board has also fixed January 10 for the sales of forms for the 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and also approved 718 CBT centres nationwide to handle registration and conduct of the exam.
Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, disclosed this during a consultative meeting with the approved CBT operators held at the University of Lagos.
The event was attended by the Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, his counterpart from Lagos State University, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, Head of National Office, West African Examinations Council, Mr. Olu Adenipekun and chairman JAMB Governing Board, Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe.
At the crucial meeting, the board also announced that henceforth cybercafes would no longer upload candidates’ WAEC, NECO results and other essential services because of irregular activities and collection of money from candidates.
The JAMB Registrar warned the approved 718 CBT centres for the 2019 UTME that the board will not hesitate to dealt with them before and during the examination if they are found wanting.
He said about 80 per cent of the CBT operators deserves applause for their performance during the 2018 UTME while less than 20 per cent found wanting were eliminated from the list and will not be involved in the forthcoming registration and examination.
Among the sanctioned CBT centres include a Federal Government owned centre locate at Oshodi in Lagos was dealt with for infraction and revealed that about five CBT operators are being prosecuted for duping candidates.
Oloyede said the five CBT owners have linked to a particularly town in Edo state, he mentioned a CBT centre in Mowe that reprinted 1979 question for 2018 and sold it to candidates for N2,000, a university in Abia state was sanctioned for exam fraud while one centre in Ebonyi state collected illegal fees from candidates.
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The Registrar disclosed that Wednesday board got the police to arrest another CBT operator for illegal collection of N6, 000 from candidates for the 2019 UTME registration.
He announced that cyber cafes will not engage in essential services for the board because of unethical practices, stating that uploading of WAEC and NECO will now be undertaking by the CBT centres.
‘’Cybercafes messed up candidates data and the candidates suffered for this. We know the damage cybercafe do to candidates. Even some fraudulent candidates registered thrice with different names. CBT centers are not allowed to sale any JAMB materials’’, Oloyede noted.
Prof Oloyede announced that the board will start the sales of the 2019 UTME forms nationwide, adding that the exercise will last for six weeks. He however noted that the forthcoming general elections will not affect the registration and the examination as the board has worked out things with INEC.
The chairman of JAMB Governing Board, Dr. Emmanuel Ndukwe said the importance of the consultative meeting with the CBT operators is keyed to the success of the 2019 UTME.
Ndukwe advised the 718 accredited CBT owners support to the work of the JAMB registrar to ensure a hitch free UTME, stressing ‘’the success or failure of the 2019 UTME depends on CBT operators. I acknowledged their cooperation during the conduct of the 2018 UTME.’’
He warned that any CBT operator that is not ready to cooperate with JAMB to ensure success of the UTME, will be shown the way out.