The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s mock examination for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates scheduled for Thursday, March 30, 2023, could not be held at some centres across the country due to technological hitch.
At the Gateway Polytechnic Centre along the Lagos–Ibadan expressway near Sagamu in Ogun State the examination could not be held at the time of filing this report due to a lack of signal from the board.
The candidates who were scheduled to write their examination by 7 pm waited in vain as the computer-based test (CBT) could not stream because of a lack of signal leaving the candidates and their parents stranded.
Some parents who spoke with BusinessDay expressed disappointment with the examination body. They were worried that the examination fixed for 7 am did not hold till 10:30 am when a staff from JAMB came to address them.
The JAMB official who addressed the parents and students concerned said they could not start the examination because of lack of signal, and he went further to ask the parents to come back by 2 pm and that if by that time they are still unable to get signal, the examination will be postponed till Friday, March 31, 2023.
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One of the parents frowned at the development.
“Asking us to come back by 2 pm was one of the most insensitive statements to come from a body like JAMB. Some of us do not live in Sagamu, for instance, some of us drove all the way from Lagos State, is JAMB asking us to take the risk and drive back to Lagos and come back here by 2 pm for an examination they are not sure would hold?” he asked.
In addition, he said; “It is disappointing that at a time like this in the history of Nigeria when elections, census and other governmental projects have failed due to poor technology, it is surprising that JAMB is yet found wanting.”
However, the JAMB officer that addressed the parents explained that one of the advantages of the mock examination is for instances such as the one at hand.
“The technology hitch noticed will be properly addressed ahead of the main examination, so, this is an eye-opener that will help the board get better,” he said.
In the last four years, JAMB under the leadership of Ishaq Oloyede has witnessed a tremendous turnaround; hence, it is surprising to many that the examination umpire body could not fix the tech signal for its system.
Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s spokesman in a phone chat with BusinessDay assured that the examination would certainly be held today, though not at the initially stated time.
“All candidates in every centre will write their examination; the candidates for second are writing by 10:30 am, and the situation is under control,” he said.
The 2023 UTME mock examination was fixed to hold in all centres across the country the examination body.
The examination was earlier scheduled for Thursday, March 16, 2023, but for reasons shifted to Thursday, March 30, 2023.
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