11 UTME CBT centres to face sanctions - JAMB HQ

 

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has recommended tough penalties for 11  Computer Based Test (CBT) centres for their alleged involvement in fingerprint irregularities during registration for this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Also to be penalised are registration centres that had  more than 50 candidates with fingerprint irregularities.

The sanctions are, however, subject to approval by Education Minister Tunji Alausa.

Registrar/Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, made this known after a stakeholder meeting on examination infractions in Abuja yesterday.

Oloyede explained that the penalties are intended to protect the integrity of the examination process.

Oloyede said: “The leadership of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, with some critical stakeholders here, recommends as follows: That any registrant who has registered more than 50 candidates (with infractions) should be dismissed from participating in any activities of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation  Board.

“And what that means, is that such a person will not participate in any UTME exercise, will not be registered for the UTME even as a student, and will not be allowed to participate in any of the sister examinations, be it WAEC(West African Examination Centre), NECO(National Examination Council)  or NABTEB (National Business and Technical Examinations Board)   and this is to be for three years.

 “The suspension is to stay for three years. After three years, the board will revisit it and look at the issue. If the registrant has shown any remorse, such a suspension could be lifted.

“And others who have registered less than 50 will be warned, and they will be required to write a letter of apology to the board after issuing a bond, indicating that they will not be involved in such a thing again.

“Then for CBT centres, all CBT centres involved are to be warned, and then they will be asked to sign a bond. And besides the bond, they will also be required to give evidence of training of their registrants.

“And that training should be anchored by any of the federal universities within their vicinity. That training should be anchored by the appropriate department of the university within their vicinity.”

Oloyede said the board would not entertain any infraction from the affected centres in the future despite even if they claim ignorance. 

He added: “We will not allow any of these centres to do anything with us until they bring a certificate, a letter from a federal institution closest to that centre that their staff had been trained on ethical standards.