Chidimma UCHEGBU, Abuja
A man, who put his age at 40 years, was among the candidates who successfully wrote the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The fourty years old was sighted at Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, one of the Computer Based Test (CBT) centers used for the examination in Abuja
He told our reporter that his participation in the examination showed that there is no maximum age to seek admission into a university.
When the man was approached, he said he was asked by his school, the Armed Forces Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Workshop (AFEME) to participate in the examination in order to pursue his dream of university education.
The candidate said that though he has children who are already in the university, he still dreams of a university education.
Meanwhile, the examination body maintained its integrity throughout the exam as its computer systems did not disappoint the candidates.
Our reporter observed that examination malpractices were not recorded during the CBT at the test centers visited including Government Secondary School, Tudun Wada, Total Child Computer and CBT Center, Dutse and Adeola International School, Kubwa, all in Abuja.
According to our observations, JAMB was able to manage the examination process in such a way that malpractices became difficult.
For instance, candidates that are adjacent will be taking different subjects and even when you are answering the same questions, question number one will be different from question number two from the next person.
Candidates were also orderly arranged and seated comfortably in the waiting and screening room while necessary instructions were given and biometrics were taken before they entered the examination hall.
The seamless process accounted for the reason the candidates finished before the time. Examinations were scheduled to begin at 7am and end at 9am, but many candidates concluded the test within one hour.
Some candidates spoken to gave kudos to JAMB for a seamless exercise. They also urged the examination board to sustain the progress.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had warned that those who cheat in the exams will be arrested either now or much later after the examination, adding that, JAMB has improved its technology to check those engaging in all forms of examination malpractices.
He also foreclosed the possibility of those who missed the exam saying that JAMB cannot spend tens of millions of the nation’s resources to reorganize a session for a few candidates who missed the exams due to their personal recklessness.
Oloyede warned that UTME is not a school-based examination as such JAMB would not be responsible for any failure caused to candidates who registered through their secondary schools who either deliberately or due to logistics challenges could not get the candidates to meet their requirements.
