Latest breaking jamb news reaching our news desk today is that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) may cancel as much as half of the results of its 2019 UTME candidates in some states in Nigeria, a senior official has told PREMIUM TIMES.
The official, who plead anonymity before he can confidently discuss the real JAMB’s delay in releasing results, did expressed disgust at the massive malpractice which was recorded during the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) that took place in the 36 states of the federation between April 11th and ended April April 11th and ended April 18th
The anonymous source disclosed that all states and part of the country took part in cheating, but that the situation was noticiably worse in some states than others. He said and I quote below;
“The fearless display of fraudulent tactics by some individuals including parents and centre owners during the UTME exercise would left millions of well meaning Nigerians dumbfounded”.
While giving reasons for the delay in the release of this year’s JAMB UTME result, the source further disclosed that well meaning Nigerians would be shocked if they were given access to the recordings from the Closed Circuit Television cameras installed across in about the 700 centres which was used during the examination.
The anonymous JAMB official disclosed that at least, 50 per cent of centres in some states would likely have their results canceled and candidates will have to rewrite it again.
Speaking on the high rate of examination malpratice recorded by CCTV, the anonymous Jamb official said and I quote:
“I trembled when I saw the magnitude of malpractice those people in each centers perpetrated, in spite of the technological measures which JAMB took. I don’t know what we can do again, as this is clearly getting out of hand,” the source said.
“If you look at the CCTV camera recordings which is in JAMB database, you would now wonder whether these people thought the board were actually joking when we insisted on installation of CCTV cameras in all Centers participating in the examination. I am not sure these candidates believed us, because anybody that had believed us would not have tried what they tried clearly in front of the CCTV camera.”
The spokesperson for JAMB, Dr. Fabian BenjaminDr. Fabian Benjamin has long confirmed the large scale exams fraud but disclosed that the board would not stereotype any particular region alone.
Shortly after the conduct of the UTME examination on the 18th of April, JAMB announced the cancellation of all results in two of its centres in Abia State, Nigeria.
The two affected centres which are Heritage and Infinity CBT Centre, and Okwyzil Computer Institute Comprehensive School, Ugwunabo, Aba, were summarily suspended and all candidates who sat for the examinations at the centres were reallocated to other nearby centres to sit for their examination.
“The results of all candidates starting from April 11th to April 18th, 2019, conducted by the Board at those centres were cancelled,” JAMB stated in one of its bulletins.
The JAMB spokesman, speaking on the delay of the UTME result, said that while widespread cheating as confirmed by CCTVs are not new in JAMB, the impatience of many Nigerians had pushed JAMB board to release results before doing a thorough review of the recordings in the past. However, Dr. Fabian Benjamin said that things are now different and everyone who participated in examination malpractice will have their result cancelled.
The annoymous official further disclosed that he believed the problem of widespread malpractice was actually declining and will soon be at it’s lowest rate in the country.
“It was worse before now, but because we used to release results almost after the examination, those who are clearly seen through the CCTV participating in malpractice are usually not punished. Our target is to have zero malpractice and we will get there very soon,” he said.
Also speaking on JAMB workers who participated in the practice of taking candidate’s money and promising them high scores, the source said that they would face stiff punishment.
“I only pity jamb workers and staff who went to conduct the examination in those places because clearly they were culpable and involved in the malpractice. You know it is CBT exam, there is no way the massive fraud could have taken place without their knowledge and agreement,” the source said.
