Amidst Series of Complaints JAMB Pledges Improvement in CBT examination
Following several complaints and most recent, is an open letter written by candidate who participated in the ongoing Computer based Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organized by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) requesting for the review of the examination.
The letter read:I sat for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Saturday, Feb 27, 2016 at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka. My registration number was 65587831DH. I sensed trouble when I observed that the organisers only went to get an extension box to plug our computers at 11am, the time the examination was supposed to begin.
The exam eventually started at 1pm, two hours behind schedule. About 15 minutes later, all the systems went offline and we had to wait for about 10 minutes before we could connect again. When I logged in, I discovered that the timer on the system did not stop reading, despite the shutdown. Also, some of the questions I had answered had been removed and I could not go back to them. I continued despite my fear, but some minutes before the expiration of my time, the server shutdown. I was told the exam was over.
The following morning, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board sent me a text message, saying that I scored 187. I broke down in tears. I wept because there was no way I could have ended with such a low score. I wept because all my efforts were in vain and the Nigerian factor had become my albatross.
Indeed, as if to confirm that something went wrong, when I went back to check the result online, I noticed that 40 marks had been added to my score. I now had 227. Also, I learnt that the additional marks were awarded across board to all those who sat for the exam on Saturday and Monday.
But 227 is not a good enough score, certainly not sufficient to fetch me admission into the University of Lagos to study Engineering. I believe those of us who wrote the exams on Saturday were used as scapegoats to test JAMB’s server.
Therefore, I urge JAMB to review my exam script. I wish to know what went wrong. I believe that my real score is much higher than what I have been given.
Toluwani Sopeju,
Daramola Olu Street, Arepo,
Ogun State.
However, an official of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Mr. Clement Ojo, has stated that the ongoing UTME, on the all Computer Based Test (CBT) platform would be improved upon with time.
Ojo, gave this assurance in an interview with reporters on Thursday while supervising a centre in Yaba.
According to him, since the total migration of the examination on the CBT platform, it has stemmed incidences of examination malpractices drastically; adding that the platform has also proved cost effective and reduced stress for the candidates, their parents and the board generally.
“Since we started this year’s examination for instance, it has been hitch-free. The candidates themselves are already armed with the schedules of their examination and they come in for the examination and go happily”.
“The development is a far cry from what used to obtain in the past when the Paper Pencil Test (PPT) mode was still in place.
“With the current development, it can only get better with time as the board will continue to research and deploy more modern technology in ensuring that it sustained global best practices in the conduct of public examinations,’’ he said.
Ojo said that more than 1.8 million candidates registered for this year’s examination across 400 centres, both within and outside the country.
The examination, which started on Saturday, Feb. 27, is expected to be concluded on March 15.
Source: NAN
