Education

Following the release of 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), 15-year-old Ajibola Oluwatosin Olumayowa has emerged ‘best candidate’ so far.

DAILY POST recalls that Corona Secondary School student Ibukun Oduntan reportedly had the highest score with 344 marks when results were being released.

However, Taidob College Asero Estate, Abeokuta, Ogun State on Wednesday told DAILY POST that its student , Ajibola Oluwatosin Olumayowa emerged with the highest score of 349.

A statement signed by one, Dare Adedotun stated that, ”Ajibola Oluwatosin from Egdbado North, Ogun State recorded 78 in the Use of English, 94 in Mathematics, 88 in Physics and 89 in Chemistry.

Also, a 16 year-old JAMB candidate from Ethiope East in Delta state, Oghotomo Ogheneruno Goddowell was initially considered to have scored the highest score of 321, in the Use of English, Physics, chemistry and biology.

Meanwhile, as it stands, Oluwamayowa’s 349 is believed to be the highest score in the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Examination Board (JAMB) has said that the results for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) are ready.

The board spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, made this disclosure while featuring on RockCity 101.9FM’s program, Day Break Show, yesterday in Abeokuta.

Benjamin, however, stated that they will be delayed, as there was need to preview them before they would be eventually released.

“Once a candidate clicks submit, the result is ready but we wait to preview the results before releasing so we don’t cancel results later. You can detect malpractice even after exams,” he said.

Benjamin also hinted that there are plans for the examination to be written from candidates’ homes in future.

“We are thinking of open book examinations or allowing them write the examination from their houses. Once we get the required technology, we can do it,” he declared.

On challenges facing the board, particularly in the ongoing UTME, the JAMB spokesman said: “at any point if there is an issue, we find a way to solve it to ensure all candidates write the UTME with convenience.”

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has called for media support to ensure transparency in the conduct of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Head of Media, made the call on Thursday during a courtesy call on Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Benjamin said the Computer-based Test (CBT) examination was scheduled to begin nationwide on March 9 and would last till March 19.

He said that the Media was doing a wonderful job in terms of dissemination of news, especially in realisation of the Federal Government’s change agenda.

Benjamin said “We are starting our UTME tomorrow and in our policy of inclusiveness, we want to carry people along, because we want to run a transparent system and we have nothing to hide.

“We invite all Nigerians, particularly the media to participate and see what we are doing; examination is all about trust, so we are opening the platform for everybody to see what we do.

“We believe that if people know what is done and how to go about it, they will have confidence in the outcome, particularly in conduct of public examination.’’

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has warned parents of candidates sitting for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination to stay away from Computer-Based Centres.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof Is-haq Oloyede, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja while monitoring the Mock UTME at the Kogo and Veritas University CBT centres.

He noted that some parents had formed the habit of hanging around the centres to engage in examination malpractice, and also warned the candidates against flouting the Board’s rules.

According to him, “We urge parents to keep away from CBT centres. We are preparing people for university education, but the parents come around too often. They want their children or their wards to pass at all costs.

“This practice is not helpful because they will not follow these candidates to the lecture rooms. Lecturers and others will start taking undue advantage of such parents because they are not mature. They are not prepared for the task. I think parents should steer clear of all CBT centres and allow the children to grow .”

He further called on the UTME candidates to desist from cheating during the examination, as the board would monitor all the computers to be used.

He said that all electronic devices, such as phones, headsets, flash drives and other items, such as wristwatches and calculators, remained banned.

He said that the ban on special eyeglasses and pens also applied to supervisors and examiners.

He added, “We urge the candidates to avoid any form of malpractice or shortcut to passing the examination. You are aware that we have banned some items from going into the examination halls; we have banned special glasses, wristwatches and many other things that we are aware our candidates use for illicit activities.

“As the candidates are getting cleverer, the board is getting wiser. We have done everything possible to avoid the issue of logging out. When a student sees that the questions are difficult, he plays some pranks, remove some wires pulls out the cable. Then there is a problem. But we are going to monitor every system and if we discover that a candidate deliberately shut down a system, he will carry his cross.”

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, says the examination mode for blind candidates for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was likely to be conducted by dictation, as was done in 2017.

Head, Media and Information, JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, gave the hint on Thursday in Lagos.

Benjamin was speaking against the backdrop of calls by some blind candidates in Lagos, seeking to know if they would be using the Braille Note Apex for the forthcoming Computer-Based Test, scheduled for between March 9 and 17.

He told NAN that all blind candidates will be writing the 2018 UTME through the dictation mode, as was the case in 2017.

“Yes, the candidates would be taking this year’s examination through the dictation mode.

“This dictation would be carried out by the ‘Equal Opportunity Group,’ under the supervision of Prof. Peter Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission.

“The Board is mindful of the needs of the Nigerian child and, therefore, will stop at nothing in ensuring that everyone is carried along and given equal opportunity to succeed.’’

Report says that 245,753 of the 1,652,795 candidates who registered for the examination, were expected to write the mock test.