JAMB Reduces CBT Centres Nationwide, Gives Reason

With few days to the commencement of the sale of forms to candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions in the country, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has reduced the number of computer-based centres, CBT, nationwide.

CBT centres are where the candidates sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

The reduction in the number of centres was part of the disclosures made by the Registrar, Prof. Isaq Oloyede, when he met with commissioners for education from across the country on Monday in Ikeja, Lagos.

According to Vanguard report, the Board axed some of the centres for reasons such as poor facilities, not complying with the guidelines of the Board, involvement in examination malpractice among others.

After the meeting with the commissioners, Oloyede only said the meeting was to sensitise the commissioners on the activities of the Board and the preparations for the coming examination.

Though the total number of CBT centres axed by the Board was not given, in Ogun State, the number of CBT centres was reduced from 43 to 21, in Abia State, the number was reduced from 21 to 14 and in Kogi State, it was reduced from 17 to 16.

It was also gathered that the Board might consider involving the Ministry of Education at state level in assessing and registering CBT centres.

Also, JAMB is taking steps to track the O/Level results of candidates seeking admission from its own end.

This, it is believed, would help reduce the incidence of candidates posting fake results to seek admission.

Speaking with the publication, the Commissioner for Education in Ogun State, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, who is also a former Vice Chancellor of the Tai Solarin University of Education, TASUED, commended the Board for the meeting.

“This is a novel idea, I mean meeting with commissioners for education and carrying them along. As a Vice Chancellor, I was part of meetings regarding preparations for the UTME. But this is the first time a meeting of this kind is holding. You know the practice in the past is that examination bodies would just conduct exams without letting the state authorities know what is happening,” he said.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Education in Kogi State, Mr Wemi Jones, noted, “This is the first time I am attending a meeting like this and a lot of issues have been cleared. Regarding the reduction in the CBT centres, we would find out what happened and tidy up any loose end. The size of Kogi State requires that we even have more centres not that the number be reduced.”

The Enugu State Education Commissioner, Prof. Uchenna Eze, said a situation whereby officials of federal agencies would just go to a state without informing state officials should be avoided.

“Situations like that always make the state officials to be at loss as to what is happening in such situations. State officials can also help examination bodies monitor their examinations too,” he said.