The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that it has delisted 25 computer-based test centres from the list of more than 800 earlier scheduled to take part in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) which kicked off nationwide on Saturday. The examination body said the action is to ensure strict adherence to regulatory standards amongst its partners.
The decision, according to the examination body, followed the centres’ non-compliance to the laid-down procedures and the difficulties encountered by candidates posted to the centres to sit the examination on Saturday.
In a statement issued on Saturday evening by JAMB and signed by its head of public affairs and protocol, Fabian Benjamin, the examination body noted that candidates posted to any of the affected centres would be rescheduled.
“The following centres which failed during the conduct of the 2021 UTME on Saturday, June 19, 2021, are hereby delisted. Candidates posted to any of these centres are required to await further directives by checking their profile, email addresses and SMS on their registered phone for a new date,” JAMB said.
Affected centres
The list of the affected centres as released by the examination body revealed that they are spread across 11 states of the federation and the Nigerian capital, Abuja.
While six centres were delisted in Lagos, four are affected in Kaduna State and three in Edo State.
Abuja, Ondo and Plateau had two centres each while Benue, Delta, Imo, Nasarawa, Osun, and Oyo had one centre each.
In Lagos, the affected centres are Massino Computer CBT, Itoga, Badagry; IP Soft Technologies Ltd. Apapa, Lagos State; Institute of Criminal Justice and Criminology Administration, Festac Town; Sweet Valley Educational Services, Ikotun; Certified Institution of Shipping, Magbon, Badagry, and Al-Miyzan Schools CBT Centre, Ikotun.
The affected centres in Kaduna State are; Bethel Baptist High School, Kujama; Zabib College, Unguwar Dosa; St. Albert Institute, Kafanchan, and Skolak Resources Ltd.
At the FCT, both the Government Secondary School, Garki, and GEF Systems Ltd located at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Dutse Junction, were affected.
The Federal Polytechnic, Ile-Oluji, and King Emmanuel College ICT Centre, Ore, are affected in Ondo State while the Plateau State University, Bokkos, and St Augustine’s Academy, Langtang, were affected in Plateau State.
Others include Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu (Osun) Federal College on Education (Special), (Oyo); Aunty Alice Schools, Mararaba (Nasarawa); Harry Pass Polytechnic CBT Centre, Gboko, (Benue), and Izisco Obos Institute of Maritime Studies and Technology, Warri (Delta).
More observers narrate experience
Meanwhile, some independent observers who monitored the conduct of the examination in some CBT centres across the country on Saturday, have narrated their experiences.
One of the monitors, who does not want to be quoted as he has no permission to speak to journalists, reported the mixed reactions among candidates and parents from some of the centres visited in Abuja.
In the account shared with this newspaper, the source wrote; “I visited the centres at Christ the King College and Christ Academy, both in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
“The exam went well at Christ Academy where I spent a lot of time. But there were technical issues in the beginning. As the exam launched (according to the JAMB technical officer at the venue, Ibrahim Balogun), 33 computer systems crashed, leaving some candidates stranded.
“Twenty-five (25) backup computers were immediately deployed. But that still didn’t solve the whole problem. Eight candidates were left unable to write the exam. Fatima Hafiz, the BVR Officer at the venue, said the names of the affected candidates were forwarded to JAMB headquarters so they could be rescheduled for sessions at a later date.
“Apart from this, there were initial network issues and IPI conflicts (multiple computer systems sharing one IPI address). But those problems were soon resolved.
“The second session at the centre was smoother. Although there was still a shortage of computers (following the crash described above) stranded candidates were able to write theirs after some other candidates finished early.”
