VITAL INFORMATION YOU NEED TO KNOW AHEAD OF THE 2017 UNIFIED TERTIARY MATRICULATION EXAMINATION (UTME)

At an address by the Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede in Abuja Ahead of this years’ Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), has stated that the exams will be conducted under closed circuit television (CCTV) camera. He said this is a bid by the board to combat examination malpractice and provide credible results.

He advised all Computer-Based Centres (CBT) to install CCTV cameras or risk not being accredited; "we believe that certain things should be done. For example, we are conducting the computer-based test, Im not`aware of anywhere in the world where you do the CBT without CCTV. If you are not caught during the examination, you can be caught after the examination because the whole thing will be under coverage. And that is one instrument that we have been telling CBT operators in the last three weeks and we are not going to compromise that, beginning from the 2017 UTME".

Speaking further, Prof. Ishaq said; “I can say clearly that I don’t know when we are going to start the sales of forms. All we want to do is to make sure that things that ought to be in place are in place. I cannot tell you exactly when it will be, but I know that sales will commence sooner than later. Why am I saying so? For instance, we are meeting with the heads of other examination bodies. We don’t want a situation where pupils will be put under pressure to give up either West African Senior School Certificate Examination or National Examination Council or any other examination whenever they are taking place simultaneously. That is one of the things we want to avoid.

Secondly, if we hold our examination at a time when students are not ready, the result we get is a high rate of failure. Our examination is a ranking examination, not an achievement examination. This is why we are saying that it is not to extend the validity because the test is to be taken just once.

What happens to you in a day can determine whether you pass or fail. If someone quarrels with someone else that day, that can affect his performance, unlike achievement tests where there are inbuilt mechanisms for continuous assessment. We want to work with other examination bodies to ensure that the interest of the pupils is protected.”

Professor Ishaq warned candidates against patronizing fake vendors of the UTME forms, adding that the sale of JAMB forms has not commenced. The 2017 UTME will adopt the PIN vending method, rather than the use of scratch cards. With this method, candidates will make online payments to obtain a pin, which will be used to upload the candidate`s JAMB information.

This new pin vending will be accessible through the options of web payment, ATM issued cards like Visa, Verve, and Master card, online quick teller, mobile application and Bank Branch case/card