JAMB Explains Why CCTV Cameras Are Needed For 2017 UTME

Prof. Is-haq Oloyede

Registrar and Chief Executive of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, has emphasized on the reason the board will be using Closed Circuit Television Cameras for the conduct of 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

According to him, this is a part of the measures aimed at preventing examination malpractice during the UTME.

“We believe that certain things should be done.

For example, we are conducting the Computer-Based Test, I’m not aware of anywhere in the world where you do the CBT without CCTV. If you are not caught during the examination, you can be caught after the examination because the whole thing will be under coverage.

He further mentioned that operators of the CBT centres who fail to comply with the order to install CCTV cameras prior to the examination may not be accredited for the UTME.

He advised parents candidates against falling victims to fraudsters as the UTME forms are not yet on sale.

Concerning when the examination will commence, the JAMB boss stated that he cannot say categorically when it will commence but it will commence sooner than later. 

In his words, “I can say clearly that I don’t know when we are going to start the sales of forms. All we want to do is to make sure that things that ought to be in place are in place. I cannot tell you exactly when it will be, but I know that sales will commence sooner than later. Why am I saying so? For instance, we are meeting with the heads of other examination bodies.

“We don’t want a situation where pupils will be put under pressure to give up either West African Senior School Certificate Examination or National Examination Council or any other examination whenever they are taking place simultaneously. That is one of the things we want to avoid.

“Secondly, if we hold our examination at a time when students are not ready, the result we get is a high rate of failure. Our examination is a ranking examination, not an achievement examination. This is why we are saying that it is not to extend the validity because the test is to be taken just once."