As part of new measures to curb cheating in its examinations, the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) says any candidate with biometric issues must now report at its office in Abuja to resolve the issues and write the examinations.
According to the board, such a candidate will write the examination in any of the board’s accredited centres in Abuja.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, the spokesperson of the board, Fabian Benjamin, said the board decided to introduce the measures after it discovered that many candidates use the biometric issue as an excuse to cheat.
“Candidates with biometric challenges can only register at JAMB headquarters in Abuja,” Mr Benjamin said.
“No other CBT centre is allowed to register such candidates.
“They will also sit for their examination at JAMB headquarters in Abuja. We noticed that some candidate(s) will just go to these centres and say they can’t register, then, they begin to ask for a reschedule or a special day,” he said.
This year, sale or registration for all candidates (UTME /DE) including for those outside Nigeria, will run from January 10 to February 21.
Also, the 2019 computer-based test examination will begin on Saturday, March 16 and end on March 23.
Mr Benjamin said a new measure is also in place for candidates to lodge their complaint to the board’s headquarters directly.
“For ALL complaints on JAMB processes, candidates can create a support ticket at (support.jamb.gov.ng) with his/her email address registered on the Board’s site. The candidate then provides his/her name, phone number and the nature of issues, select a complain area on a dropdown and then summarised the nature of the complaint. He/she may also attach supporting documents (if available), then send,” he said.
Mr Benjamin advised candidates to register on time before the available space in their town of choice or group of towns is exhausted.
He urged all prospective candidates not to release their passwords to anyone in the process of registration.
“Candidates are urged not to give their passwords to anybody. As a matter of fact, at the centre, if anyone asks for your password, don’t give it out,” he said.
Mr Benjamin said the board would also conduct a mock examination in all the accredited CBT centres to prepare and familiarise ‘interested candidates’ with CBT environment.
“Interested candidates are advised to indicate their interest in the mock examination during registration, provided it is on or before January 31,” he said.
He said the MOCK examination will commence from February 23.
”Non -JAMB centres are allowed to collect, through their bank account, a separate seven hundred naira (N700) only, for mock exercise from only interested candidates after notification of centres has been received by the candidate(s),” he said.
He said no association or body is permitted to run any mock examination on behalf of JAMB.
Speaking on measures put in place to assist blind, mute or deaf candidates, Mr Benjamin said such candidates are to indicate their challenge by typing, for example, ‘BLIND’, and also picking the option of ‘writing their examination through CBT mode or read examination aloud’.
“We also doing something for the ‘mute’ candidates and those that are completely deaf. At the point of registration, they have to confirm if they are deaf or mute. They’ll indicate it there. So that we can give them special attention in the examination hall,” he concluded.
Premium Times reported the board saying it has 718 accredited Computer Based Test (CBT) centres across Nigeria, which will help in spreading digital literacy ahead the 2019 examination.
The board also said limiting of registration of candidates to only approved CBT centres was to end extortion of candidates, mixing up of candidates’ data, malpractice, as well as for monitoring purposes.
JAMB is charged with the responsibility of administering examinations for applicants to Nigerian public and private universities, monotechnics, polytechnics and colleges of education.
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