The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has entered into a partnership with two indigenous software companies, Cinfores Limited and WaveTek Nigeria Limited.
The purpose is to address the wave of mass failures in national examinations in Nigeria, through the use of Information and Communication Technology.
The partnership was consummated at the weekend, when the agency witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with WaveTek and Cinfores Limited on deployment of a special version of Nigeria’s foremost e-learning and examination preparatory software, Cinfores BrainFriend.
The special version which is customised for the forthcoming 2015 JAMB UTME is known as JAMB Brainfriend. Also present at the ceremony was Patrick Onwumere, Microsoft Nigeria, Education Lead.
Speaking on the development, Peter Jack the director-general of NITDA, said the agency keyed into the initiative as part of its effort to deepen and encourage local content development in education and other sectors of the economy, as mandated by the act setting up the agency.
“Based on the transformation agenda of Mr. President, the Federal Government of Nigeria is doing everything possible to ensure that the Nigerian educational system is improved and made world class.‘‘There is a decline in quality of education in our country.The mass failure in UTME and other national examinations in recent years, as a case in point, is a mixture of many things, including the non-availability of quality local resources to change the tide of mass failure and exam malpractice that has plagued the nation,’’ he said.
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The NITDA boss, also stated that NITDA as an IT agency, is committed to transforming every sector in the country, through the introduction of ICT.
He pointed out that in its various efforts to ensure qualitative education in the country, NITDA would engage various local and international organisations to develop locally adapted solutions that will meet the needs of the sector.
He added that the agency would do its best to support the partnership between the two companies.
In his remarks, Asawo Ibifuro, the managing director of Cinfores Limited, said the software companies decided to introduce the examination software, Jamb BrainFriend ,which has been approved by the Federal Ministry of Education, NERDC and NITDA, to arm Nigerian students to be better prepared for the forthcoming JAMB examination.
Asawo, who frowned at the increasing rate of failure in JAMB examinations, said the software company, ‘‘is committed to helping the students and exam candidates to adequately prepare and pass their various educational examinations by developing the customised version that would help them.
The premium version of the software, he explained, has the following features: over 57,000 questions, answers and explanations, over 20,000 theorems, definitions and formulae, covers about 50 subjects (including Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo Languages), prototype questions for WAEC, NECO & JAMB, career counselling guide, quick references and easy to use study notes for over 30 subjects, national curriculum, performance tracking, available for Windows/ Android devices and
easy setup and activation.
According to him, the special JAMB Brainfriend was subsequently developed to provide a customised version for the forthcoming 2015 UTME.
Having in mind the high rate of failure that has plagued the exam in recent years and the introduction of Computer Based Testing, he said Cinfores Limited decided to release a customised version to directly address the needs of the JAMB UTME candidates, to enable them prepare adequately, as well as retain the knowledge gained through the use of the of BrainFriend.
This version, according to him, has many features including over 20,000 questions, answers and explanations, 19 JAMB subjects/ subject combinations for the major disciplines, prototype/ past JAMB questions, career counselling guide, quick references/ study notes
performance tracking, summary/ questions on the UTME 2015 special literature – the last days at Forcados High school, free online counselling @ www.brainfriendonline.com
affordable at just N800 (without CDs) and N900 (with CDs), among others.
He also noted that the software, apart from arming the students for their exams, it would also prepare them and erase any phobia or myths surrounding the electronic JAMB examination, which is taking off this year.” He assured the candidates that the software would improve their chances of passing the forth-coming JAMB exams if it is effectively utilised.
Ken Spann, managing director of WaveTek Nigeria Limited, said the two companies realised the danger of examination mass failure in Nigeria, a reason, he said informed the development of JAMB Brainfrend software to cater for the challenge of mass failure in UTME.
Spann who had earlier spent about eleven years promoting Microsoft Education via Microsoft IT Academies at Microsoft USA and Nigeria respectively, further enthused that, “Through WaveTek’s strong network in education, we are collaborating with Cinfores as their marketing partner and ensuring that BrainFriend is used by the over 1.4 million candidates registered for JAMB UTME scheduled for March, 2015”.
