PERMIT me to use this medium to present my stand on the 2016 UTME, as well as the way forward for the organising body.
I want to give kudos to the officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), and in particular, the boss, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, for his gallant efforts in taking university entrance examination to its desired international level. His efforts should be commended rather than condemned, and I want to say that the cry to return to the paper-pencil examination is like a cry for re-colonisation. These are my sincere analyses of the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The examination experienced some hitches. The hitches include, shut down systems, malfunction systems, officials sending students out, not minding if they have been affected, release of miraculous (unexpected, below expectation) scores, mix up of subjects, among others. There are other student-made hitches too like late arrival, going to wrong centres, trying to manipulate etc.
Now, the fact on ground is, which no one must try to sweep under the carpet, and which pains more (can lead to depression on the candidate’s part) is when brilliant candidates get low scores, while below-average students got 200 marks and above.
Although JAMB may want to deny it, if the body is serious about taking examination to the international level, then it won’t get there if if always puts up no-error stance!
If for any reason, candidates with malfunction systems are chased out, don’t we all know their future is involved? And these Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) centres staff will say it’s not true? Can we for once in Nigeria admit error, trace error, and apologise?
The ICT-based exam is the most reliable, as it cannot be manipulated because it goes into the data base once it is clicked!
The hurdle now is, are we sincerely devoted to diligently confirming the cases raised? Can JAMB not pile up these complaints and re-trace each child’s case? It does not take time! It’s the easiest thing to do!
But Nigerians are lazy in doing their work, so they complain it can’t be done! Our righteousness is not in the workplace, but in our religious centres.
JAMB’s Professor Ojerinde must order an investigation into all complaints, while the outcome must be to determine whether they are genuine or fake complaints.
A child who has been coming first in his examinations from primary school to Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3, will definitely not score 170 in the UTME.
JAMB must definitely revisit the complaints arising from this year’s examination, even if it means that all the ICT experts will sleep in their workplace for one week.
If it is discovered that systems malfunctioned during the examination, then such centre must give candidates more time.
In other external examinations like the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), students call for remark of their papers, so why is retracing their ICT data base not possible with JAMB?
Machine-marked exam is the easiest to retrace. The change we desire in Nigeria is to have every voice heard, and not trampled upon.
I hope that JAMB will get to the level of GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and other international examinations that display scores immediately a paper section is completed.
The data base of JAMB can show scores like these international exams as students complete each subject.
There may be the need for more expert touch on the Computer Based Test (CBT) programme being currently used.
Nigerian graduates can do this perfectly, not companies that would take money and install inadequate programmes that cannot meet various challenges of e-examinations.
•Dr (Mrs) Victoria Akintoye,
Ibadan.
I want to give kudos to the officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB), and in particular, the boss, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, for his gallant efforts in taking university entrance examination to its desired international level. His efforts should be commended rather than condemned, and I want to say that the cry to return to the paper-pencil examination is like a cry for re-colonisation. These are my sincere analyses of the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The examination experienced some hitches. The hitches include, shut down systems, malfunction systems, officials sending students out, not minding if they have been affected, release of miraculous (unexpected, below expectation) scores, mix up of subjects, among others. There are other student-made hitches too like late arrival, going to wrong centres, trying to manipulate etc.
Now, the fact on ground is, which no one must try to sweep under the carpet, and which pains more (can lead to depression on the candidate’s part) is when brilliant candidates get low scores, while below-average students got 200 marks and above.
Although JAMB may want to deny it, if the body is serious about taking examination to the international level, then it won’t get there if if always puts up no-error stance!
If for any reason, candidates with malfunction systems are chased out, don’t we all know their future is involved? And these Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) centres staff will say it’s not true? Can we for once in Nigeria admit error, trace error, and apologise?
The ICT-based exam is the most reliable, as it cannot be manipulated because it goes into the data base once it is clicked!
The hurdle now is, are we sincerely devoted to diligently confirming the cases raised? Can JAMB not pile up these complaints and re-trace each child’s case? It does not take time! It’s the easiest thing to do!
But Nigerians are lazy in doing their work, so they complain it can’t be done! Our righteousness is not in the workplace, but in our religious centres.
JAMB’s Professor Ojerinde must order an investigation into all complaints, while the outcome must be to determine whether they are genuine or fake complaints.
A child who has been coming first in his examinations from primary school to Senior Secondary School (SSS) 3, will definitely not score 170 in the UTME.
JAMB must definitely revisit the complaints arising from this year’s examination, even if it means that all the ICT experts will sleep in their workplace for one week.
If it is discovered that systems malfunctioned during the examination, then such centre must give candidates more time.
In other external examinations like the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), students call for remark of their papers, so why is retracing their ICT data base not possible with JAMB?
Machine-marked exam is the easiest to retrace. The change we desire in Nigeria is to have every voice heard, and not trampled upon.
I hope that JAMB will get to the level of GRE, GMAT, TOEFL and other international examinations that display scores immediately a paper section is completed.
The data base of JAMB can show scores like these international exams as students complete each subject.
There may be the need for more expert touch on the Computer Based Test (CBT) programme being currently used.
Nigerian graduates can do this perfectly, not companies that would take money and install inadequate programmes that cannot meet various challenges of e-examinations.
•Dr (Mrs) Victoria Akintoye,
Ibadan.
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