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Tag: UTME

  • JAMB reveals how parents are aiding UTME fraud

    Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), on Wednesday said parents of candidates sitting for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, have been the Board’s major challenge.

    He described as alarming the desperation of parents and level at which they go to ensure that their children get admissions at all cost, irrespective of the consequences involved. Oloyede pointed out that the situation has continued to give the board consistent concern.

    The Registrar spoke today during a meeting with the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption in Abuja.

    ”The greatest problem we have is with the parents, I do not have problems with the candidates. But the parents have gone haywire.

    ”They compromise the process because while the students are writing the examinations, you see some of the parents seeking for any assistance that can be given to make their children pass.”

    Oloyede recalled that during the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Board Examinations (UTME), some parents of candidates who were caught for engaging in malpractices did not play the proper parental role.

    According to him, while one mother requested that her daughter’s mark be automatically increased because a Test Centre operator tried to molest her, another mother pushed her eldest son to write the examination for the younger one.

    “Some parents go as far as paying huge sums of money into fraudulent accounts online to upgrade their children’s results.

    ”We have advertised recently, that anybody who pays into such accounts would be tracked and disqualified because these fraudsters openly advertise that if you want help on JAMB pay into certain accounts.

    ”Parents are paying into these accounts but we have involved the Department of State Services and the Police and some of them have been arrested already.”

    The act, he said, has continued to give the board a second view of what transpires outside its domain, through which it is able to monitor the illegal operations.

    Oloyede reiterated that the board would continue to give its best in ensuring that its credibility is sustained, despite the challenges at hand.

    Speaking on the issue of cut off mark, the Registrar explained that it is necessary to understand that it is the point that allows you to know at what point you are not allowed “into the basket.”

    He further explained that the cut off point goes beyond attaining just the UTME scores but includes all the requirements of the admission process.

    He explained this varies from one institution to another, adding that people must erase from their minds, the perception that the higher a cut off mark of an institution, the more credible the institution is.

    Oloyede said that it was the duty of the board to ensure that it supervises and guarantees that no one is surcharged.

    ”The Law that established JAMB makes it clear that JAMB will admit in conjunction with the institutions.

    According to the registrar, there are 25 countries with similar bodies like JAMB in the world and what they do is conduct the examinations and make the results available to the institutions.

    ”At what point the institutions intend to cut off is at their discretion.”

    Earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Itse Sagay, said that the purpose of the visit by the Committee was to learn more about how the board has managed its success and challenges, especially on the issue of results and admissions.

    Other issues, he said that need attention were those of the cut off marks for admissions as well factors militating against the progress of the system.

    Sagay also said that the committee was there to get an update on the issue of JAMB staff who allegedly looted the board’s funds and steps being taken by the board to bring them to book.

    Over 15 members of staff of the board and members of the Presidential Committee attended the meeting.

  • UTME: IDP students record exceptional performance

    UTME: IDP students record exceptional performance

    Ohogua Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) students who wrote the recent Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) record an impressive performance according to results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

    Solomon Folunsho, the general overseer of International Christian Mission Centre and operator of the camp located in Benin City, Edo State, made this known after results of all the students were released.

    According to the general overseer, 59 out of the 63 students who wrote the exam scored above 200, with some getting as high as 298.

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who paid the registration fees of the students for the examination, including WAEC, NECO and NABTEB, as part of his support for displaced persons across the country, said he is very pleased with the performance.

    “This is another manifestation of the inherent resilience of Nigerians, whether young or old, and their ability to record notable achievements, even in the face of daunting challenges,” he said.

    He commended the operators of the camp, as well as other displaced camps in the country, for their continued selfless efforts in ensuring that the displaced persons are cared for, as government intensifies efforts to ensure their safe return to their homes and communities.

    Dogara, while stressing that the impressive performance of the students is a testament of their potentials which can only be fully harnessed with adequate support and empowerment, urged Nigerians who are financially capable to support them in order to prevent their present unfavourable circumstances from hampering their future.

     

  • JAMB releases 1.5m UTME results, withholds 112,331 others

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released a total of 1,502,978 results in the just conducted Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

    JAMB’s Head of Information, Fabian Benjamin, said the results were released after viewing all CCTV footage during the 2018 UTME.

    He also noted that the results were released having considered reports from the body’s supervisors, monitors and other independent Nigerians who took interest in promoting the quality of public examination in Nigeria.

    JAMB said a total of 1,652,825 candidates indicated interest in the examination by registering for the 2018 UTME.

    He said a total of 112,331 candidates results are yet to be released out of which 350 are the results of the blind candidates which would be released soon and 111,981 results withheld for further screening.

    “The figure above excludes foreign candidates whose examination would be conducted in April,” he noted in a statement.

     

  • 2018 UTME: No rescheduling of exams for candidates – Oloyede

    The Registrar, Joint Admissions, and Matriculation Board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, on Thursday said that there will be no rescheduling of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exam (UTME) for any student like it did last year.

    He said that reports have also indicated that some parents had allegedly negotiated with some private coordinators who assured them of success at all cost during the UTME.

    Oyolede said candidates whose thumbs were not recognised for verification by the biometric machines, and that such candidates might have registered illegally.

    He disclosed said that the board had arrested some operators of illegal UTME registration centres set up to defraud applicants.

    “They were using something they call team viewer which will definitely give biometric problem because these candidates were not physically captured at the authentic centre.

    “We would not be held responsible for that and there won’t be any form of rescheduling for anybody, I did that last year out of ignorance.’’

    The registrar described the general conduct of the UTME nationwide as highly successful and attributed the success to use of improved modern technology which has prevented most illegal acts people were used to.

    The registrar made the remarks at the board’s headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, when a suspected impersonator arrested by officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps was paraded for attempting to write the UTME for his brother.

    According to the civil defence corps officials, the mother of the boy, who claimed to be a prophet, directed the boy to sit the examination for his brother.

    The boy was arrested at the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Air Mas Computer Centre Madalla in Niger.

    Oloyede said,“ Parents need to disassociate themselves from this type of shameful attitude.

    “It is against any type of parenting that you want to inculcate the spirit of deceit into your children; I think even bad people do not want to be succeeded by bad people.

    “The woman should have just said she is a mother and not that she is a prophet; you are doing something shameful, do not bring God into it at all.

    “No religion would allow for a mother to tell one of her sons to go and write exams for the other.

    “If someone is unfortunate to be corrupt, he or she should ask God to terminate it at his own level, but conscious efforts at transmitting that culture to the next generation is very painful.’’

    The registrar also frowned at those hiding behind religion to commit crimes including examination malpractice.

    “One said he is a Catholic priest; there’s another one from Abia and now, this mother said she’s a prophet, people in Nigeria just use religion to exploit others.

    “They go to churches, establish centres in the name of helping the church only to use them for their selfish purposes,’’ he said.

    He explained that the board was able to detect, through the use of technology, that most of the cabling issues at CBT centres, were pre-arranged.

    “Their intentions are to help people not knowing that we now have a device that monitors every computer system in every centre, via a code.

    “We are able to detect now, people who are able to write the exams, answering 180 questions in just 12 minutes.

    “We also have three to four persons who wrote the examinations on the same computer at a session not knowing we have the identity of every computer.’’

    The Registrar stated that it was in view of the latest developments that the board could not release some results on Wednesday.

    Oloyede disclosed that the board had identified 14 centres across the country involved in malpractice and assured that the operators would be prosecuted.

    The ongoing 2018 UTME, which commenced on March 9, is scheduled to end on Saturday, March 17.

  • UTME 2018: Methodist Reverend arrested for extortion

    The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Tuesday arrested a Methodist Reverend, Mr Chuka Egwuonwu, for allegedly extorting N126,000 from candidates to aid malpractices.

    Mr Patrick Ukpan, Commandant, NSCDC, FCT Command, while presenting the suspect to newsmen in Abuja, said the suspect who owns a CBT centre called Diamond ICT Centre was arrested in Abia State.

    Ukpan said that the arrest was made possible through the help of CCTV mounted in the centre and controlled from the Abuja headquarters of the JAMB.

    “It was observed that they were extorting money from candidates. The centre have extorted about N126,000.

    “Each candidate was asked to pay N1,000 for what we do not know but this is a criminal act.

    “Based on that, he was arrested; JAMB examination that is being conducted now has camera and live transmission of activities are taking place there straight to the headquarters of JAMB.

    “Whatever activities are taking place at the centres are being monitored live and based on those monitoring devices that they we were able to corroborate their intelligence regarding the extortion of money.

    “The suspect was subsequently arrested and brought down to Abuja.”

    He added that the corps would continue its investigation to get to the route of the alleged crime, adding that other collaborators would also be arrested if there are any.

    In his response, Egwuonwu admitted that some coordinators collected money from the students but found out in his investigations that the act was committed outside his centre.

    The suspect said those who extorted the money from the candidates were not his staff.

    “While trying to make inquiry, I discovered the crime was committed but before I could take further action to unravel it, the NSCDC was already there to arrest me.”

    Also, Mr Fabian Benjamin, Head of Media, JAMB, said there was a link between the suspect’s centre and the tutorial centre that extorted money from candidates.

    Benjamin, who recalled an incidence of protest by some centres in Lagos demanding the extension of registration till May, said the tutorial centres were there to extort the students which informed their protest.

    “These centres want to have enough time for the registration of JAMB so as to have enough time to extort the students,” he said.

    He said the arrest had confirmed the board’s suspicious that the tutorial centres were after exploitation.

    The JAMB spokesman added that the tutorial centres were damaging the integrity of education in the country.

    He called on stakeholders to take interest in education, develop interest in the activities of JAMB to curb malpractices and change the narrative of education.

    In a similar development, the Corps had also arrested one Miss Udoh Akpabio and her accomplice for alleged examination malpractice in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

    Akpabio was caught with a phone concealed in her underwear, while the examination was on at Baptist Academy, Karu.

    Also, caught was Andrew Etziuzala, who was said to be aiding Akpabio in the cheating process.

    The two suspects were caught with the aid of Close Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV), which sends live transmission of activities going on within the examination halls to the JAMB headquarters

  • UTME 2018: JAMB directs candidates to immediately check results online

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed candidates who have taken the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) to visit the board’s website for their results.

    The Head of Media of the Board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, gave the directive at a news conference on Tuesday in Bwari, Abuja.

    Benjamin said that the results had been scrutinized and released on its website, www.jamb.org.ng, adding that such candidates were free to visit the Board’s website for their results.

    He also explained that the results would be released in batches to enable candidates who have already taken the examination to check them.

    JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, recently said that unlike the 2017 exercise, the Board would not release the results of the 2018 examinations immediately until after two or three days.

    This, he stated, was not because the Board was incapable of releasing them immediately but that results must undergo review and total scrutiny to avoid multiple cancellation of candidates’ results.

    The 2018 UTME began on Friday and is scheduled to finish on Saturday.

     

  • UTME 2018: Identical twins arrested for exam malpractice

    Two identical twins have been arrested for alleged examination malpractice in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), at the University of Maiduguri centre, Borno.

    This came just as Joint Admissions and matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that between Friday and yesterday about 450,000 candidates out of about 1.6 million that registered for 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have successfully written their tests in various computer-based test centres scattered across the country.

    Revealing this in an exclusive interview with Sunday Telegraph, the Head of the examination body’s Public Relations Unit, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, noted that so far, the feedback has been encouraging and urged stakeholders, especially candidates to comply with the rules and regulations governing the conduct of the examination.

    Chief Examiner Officer in Borno State, Mr. Babagana Gutti, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the twins were apprehended by the security operatives on Saturday in Maiduguri.

    Gutti said that the lookalike brothers tricked invigilators and security personnel to gain entrance to the centre. He said one of them tried to sit for the examination on behalf of his brother.

    The JAMB official explained that one, Hussain Andulhammeed, was captured in the biometric registration for the Compute Base Test (CBT), adding that the second persons Hassan took advantage of their semblance and sat for the examination in place of his brother

    “We do not suspect foul play until one of the invigilators noticed the other identical twin outside the examination hall. The invigilator became curious and asked him few questions; but not satisfied with answers he put them together for verification.

    “It is unfortunate our findings showed that he was in the examination hall in place of his brother,” he said.

    Gutti added that the candidates had been penalised and handed over to security personnel. He explained that the examination was going smoothly in the eight designated centres in the state.

    Meanwhile, JAMB, has vowed to deal decisively any candidate or operator of any of the Computer Based Test (CBT) Centres, caught perpetrating examination malpractice.

  • UTME 2018: Candidates laud JAMB as some fidget over use of computers

    UTME 2018: Candidates laud JAMB as some fidget over use of computers

    Some candidates, who sat for the first session of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), on Saturday commended JAMB as few panicked due to their unfamiliarity with the use of computers.

    Mr Abayomi Otubela, the proprietor of Lagooz Schools Agege, Lagos, whose school serves as one of the UTME centres, announced this to the parents of the candidates at the waiting lodge in the centre.

    Otubela said some candidates had difficulties navigating through the computers, which made them to panic.

    “Some of our children are fidgeting because they are not familiar with the use of computers.

    “Some of them said they cannot even navigate to move to the next subject, so we had to put them through the process before the examination started,” he said.

    He advised parents to inform those, who had not written the examination, to get familiar with the use of computers and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) software.

    “For those of you, who have people that haven’t written, let them get familiar with the use of computer and JAMB software.

    “That was why JAMB conducted the mock examination so that they can familiarise themselves with the software.’’

    He also advised parents to encourage their children to prepare well academically in order to gain admission into the schools of their choice.

    Meanwhile, some candidates sitting for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) in some centres in Lagos, Benin and Abuja have commended the JAMB as CBT proceeds smoothly in most centres.

    The examination commenced on Friday across the country, with computer Based Test,(CBT).

    A cross section of the candidates writing the test at Connection Computer Centre, Lagos, commended JAMB for its proper organisation.

    Mr Kehinde Adenuga, said organisation of the examination was convenient for applicants.

    “The process of registration and allocation has been convenient, as everything is done online.

    “The first batch started by 7a.m, and I will be in the next batch to write by 9a.m. I can only pray for the best,” he said.

    Chime Lucky, another candidate, expressed hope for success in the test.

    “I wrote JAMB in 2017 but I didn’t do too well, I hope and pray that I am able to secure admission this year,” she said.

    Mr Obinna Ume, a parent, who brought his ward to write the test, also commended the arrangement.

    “There is no rowdiness and the candidates are expected to have basic knowledge of computer to write the test.

    “This is commendable and it will go a long way to encourage computer literacy among students,” he said.

    Dr Akinyele Ariyo, Supervisor for the examination centre assured that the test was foolproof against manipulation.

    “The examinations we are conducting are well organised and protected against malpractices.

    “The questions are computer based and cannot be leaked by anybody, and the centres are monitored with security cameras connected to a central server ” he said.

    Ariyo said that his centre accommodated 250 candidates for each batch, with three batches in a day.

    Also, some 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates in Benin on Saturday tasked the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to be time cautious.

    One of the candidates, Endurance Abang told NAN that the exams was schedule for 7a.m but could not start until 8.a.m.

    Abang said that some of the candidates travelled early to their various centres without food only to start waiting for JAMB officials.

    He, however, called on JAMB to make mock examinations compulsory for all the candidates that enrolled for the exam, adding that it would enable them to familiarise with computers and other back-ups equipment used at the exam centres.

    Solomon Osarodion, another candidate, lauded JAMB for the smooth conduct of the examination, however, warned JAMB for not commencing examination early enough as slated.

    Osarodion said that JAMB should ensure proper monitoring of all the facilities used during the exams as he said that some of the computers are outdated.

    A centre administrator, Mr Daniel Egeonu, said that JAMB has a way of monitoring all its accredited centre before the commencement of each exams, adding that JAMB would not accredited any centre without meeting its requirements.

    Egeonu, however, blamed late commencement of exams on the part of candidates not arriving centres early enough.

    Also, Mrs Idowu Odufoye, an Inspector of Call (IC) from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) told newsmen that they recorded a hitch-free screening at the centre.

    “We carried out the screening in four different stages and there was no problem with the candidates.

    “They complied, obeyed instructions and none of them were caught with any incriminating material, Odufoye said.

    According to Mr Moshood Momoh, a JAMB official, no issue was encountered during the examination and the candidates behaved very well and were orderly.

    Out of 250 candidates registered for the first day at the centre, only one candidate was absent.

     

  • 2018 UTME: JAMB to conduct Mock test Feb 26

    2018 UTME: JAMB to conduct Mock test Feb 26

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Sunday said the much anticipated conduct of the 2018 Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) would now hold on Feb. 26.

    The board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    According to him, a total of 245,753 of the 1,652,795 candidates that registered for this year’s UTME are expected to write the test.

    “We are happy to announce to the public that the board has concluded arrangement for the conduct of the mock UTME, slated for Monday, February 26.

    “This is irrespective of the ongoing strike embarked upon by members of non-academic unions of federal universities nation wide.

    “Candidates will soon be informed on when to print notifications for the examination and in addition, notifications will be sent through e-mails and text messages on the schedules of their examination,” Benjamin said.

    He explained that the examination was expected to be hitch free because the board had successfully reduced incidences of malfunctioning of computers by electronically integrating the systems to see their functionality and effectiveness through link tests.

    “What this means is that, at the end if the exercise, whatever system that is not seen will not be used for the mock examination.

    “The 2018 exercise sold a total of 1, 966,918 candidate generating profiles.

    “In previous examinations this number of candidates would have paid for the forms but through our efficient and effective system of ensuring that candidates do not waste resources, we decided to introduce the profile generating regime.

    “By this method, candidates will first have to generate personal profiles before proceeding to obtain pins, in between which they are open to deciding whether to go ahead to pay for the registration documents or otherwise,” Benjamin explained.

    NAN reports that the main UTME is expected to hold nationwide from March 9 to March 17.

     

  • 1.6m forms sold for 2018 UTME – JAMB

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says about 1.6 million registration documents for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have so far been sold with two days to end the exercise.

    The board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

    The board commenced the sales of the document on Dec. 6, 2017, and had said it would close on Feb. 6.

    However, the board’s Registrar, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, on Feb. 6, announced extension of the documents sales to Feb. 11, in attempt to accommodate candidates who failed to register within the two months window.

    According to Benjamin, this year’s registration for the examination has proven to be one of the best in recent times.

    “As at the close of work on Thursday, I can comfortably say that we have registered close to 1.6 million candidates for the examination.

    “This year’s registration too can be adjudged as one of the best in recent times as it has been smooth, hitch and rancour-free.

    “Having said this though, the board will like to warn that there may be no more extension of period of registration for candidates in our future examinations.

    “This is because some mischievous persons may want to seize the opportunity of the lengthy period of registration to carry out infractions that could undermine the integrity of the examination,’’ he told NAN.

    “We are seriously considering reducing the registration period to about one month.

    “We no longer want to give fraudsters the opportunity to deploy all kinds of tricks into the process.

    “Imagine a situation whereby in a whole month, less than 10 per cent registered until when we started approaching the last lap of the exercise.’’

    It is reported that no date has been fixed for the much anticipated mock UTME with the main examination temporarily scheduled for March 9 to March 17.