2018 UTME: JAMB bans pens, wristwatches in centres

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
(JAMB), organisers of the Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination (UTME), has banned the
use of wrist watches and pens during the conduct
of its 2018 test.

The board’s Registrar, Prof. Is’haq Oloyede
disclosed this to newsmen on the sideline of a
one-day sensitisation workshop for Computer
Based Test (CBT) centre owners on Wednesday in
Lagos.

According to him, the essence of the workshop is
to appraise the registration and conduct of the
2017 examination.

“What we are doing here today is to appraise the
registration and conduct of our past examination
and we have taken some lessons from our
experience.

“To this end therefore we have introduced some
measures that will further add to the integrity of the
registration process as well as the conduct of the
examination proper.

“For instance, we discovered during the conduct of
the last examination that some electronic devices
such as pens, wristwatches and other devices were
used to perpetrate examination malpractice.

“So, for next year, we have banned the use of
wristwatches and pens by candidates and other
persons in the examination hall.

“We are also going to introduce some detection
devices to ensure that those who plan to cheat in
the examination hall are frustrated, as we will also
jam (communication network) of the centres,” he
said.

Oloyede noted that the sale of the registration
document for the 2018 UTME would commence
before the end of November.

“We are planning to meet with all stakeholders on
Nov. 15 and the sale of the registration document
will definitely commence before the end of this
month.

“But before that, we expect candidates to go and
download our app, go to our website and download
the syllabus and brochure, so that they can now
study the process.

“This is in order to minimise the errors that usually
occurs during the registration process,” he said.

The JAMB boss added that not less than 617
centres have been accredited nationwide for the
exercise.

“We are still considering about 60 more centres as
we have their applications waiting for
consideration.

“However, a total of 72 centres nationwide have
earlier been delisted owing to their involvement in
some infractions and they remain delisted.”

On the board’s plan to construct mega CBT centres
for its examinations, Oloyede said: “The mega
centre plan is still on, we said that last year.
“But the process of planning will take sometime.

“There will be design, there will be contact with
private operators, just as there will be
advertisements and also due process will be
followed,” he said.

Earlier, Oloyede called for the support of the CBT
centre owners in checking anti-examination
activities capable of compromising the
examination.

“While thanking you for your deligence during the
2017 examination, we want to seize this
opportunity to inform you of the flagging off of the
2018 excercise.

“We will like to also assure you that we will make
use of the best CBT centres in the coming
examination.

“You will be culpable if you do not expose any CBT
centre that is doing what is evil because they will
attract condemnation from all of us.

“It is on this premise that we are appealing that
you assist us in identifying the bad eggs among
you and ensuring that they do not participate in our
activities,” he said.

According to him, monitoring starts from the time
of arrival of the centre owners to the workshop.

He added that during the 2018 UTME examination,
the board would include some other requirements
for CBT centres.

“We are not going to accept wireless CCTV
cameras. Any examination conducted in any CBT
centre that we cannot monitor from Abuja will not
be paid for.

“The onus is on you to ensure that your CCTV are
working and must be on and no CBT centre is
allowed to sell any kind of materials under the
guise of past questions.

“We will also not tolerate candidates leaving the
centre to go out to use the toilet. It is expected
that all accredited CBT centres have an in-house
convenience,” Oloyede said.