JAMB Expresses Readiness for 2013 UTME

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Monday said its co-ordinators and centres are fully equipped to ensure a hitch free 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), stressing that this year's UTME would be conducted as Computer Based Test (CBT) and Paper Pencil Test (PPT) on April 27 across the country.

A statement issued by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the board, Mr. Fabian Benjamin, disclosed that a brain-storming meeting recently held with over 166 coordinators from 190 coordinating tertiary institutions for the 2013 exams.

'The meeting was designed to keep the coordinators abreast of 2013 UTME features, its expectations and their roles towards ensuring the success of the examination,' the statement read.

The Registrar of JAMB, Professor 'Dibu Ojerinde, according to the statement, outlined the challenges facing the conduct and credibility of the exams.

'Experience has shown that result blackout, incomplete results and other seemingly problems occur as a result of certain shortcomings often discovered either on the part of the candidate or on the part of other stakeholders right from the stage of registration of candidates to the conduct of the examination,' he said.

Ojerinde, however, said the Board deemed it necessary to conduct the training for its examination officials.
He urged the coordinators to see their engagement as a national call and service to their fatherland as their role is crucial to the success of the test.

Ojerinde added that the purpose of the training was to provide comprehensive information on the role of the UTME Coordinators, Supervisors, Centre Coordinators, Assistant Coordinators, Invigilators, Technical staff and Attendants for the smooth conduct of the 2013 UTME.

According to the statement, 'the CBT mode will be conducted alongside two other modes: Dual Based Test (DBT) and the traditional PPT. In the CBT mode, the deployment of question and responses would be on the computer while in the DBT the question will be deployed on the computer while responses would be on Optical Mark Readable (OMR) answer sheets; and of course the traditional PPT would be presented on paper and the responses will be on (OMR) answer sheets.

'It would be most appropriate to re-emphasise that the transition period from PPT to CBT is three years lasting till 2015 when it is expected that all candidates for the Board's Matriculation Examination will sit for the test electronically.'