By Philip Yatai

Some candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have complained of system failure during the ongoing examination in some Computer-Based Test centres in Kaduna.    

The candidates who made the complaint in separate interviews in Kaduna on Tuesday, said that the computer system either suddenly went off or in some cases logged candidates out before stoppage time.

They called on the Admission and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) to address the anomaly to prevent a situation where candidates fail the examination due to technical error.  

One of them, Chubby Abel, who wrote the examination at Queen Amina College, Kaduna, said that the computer went off 40 minutes before the stoppage time.

Abel, appealed to JAMB to put measures to forestall a recurrence, and find ways to compensate candidates that faced the same challenge.

Similarly, Mss Alisa Danjuma, who experienced a similar situation at KADWELL International School, Barnawa, said that the system logged her out 15 minutes to stoppage time.

The story was, however, different in Kaduna State University CBT centre where JAMB and the candidates commended the centre for a hitch-free exercise.

Mr Abdulsalam El-Suleiman, JAMB Technical Officer at the centre, commended KASU CBT centre for a well-coordinated and smooth conduct of the examination.

According to him, the KASU CBT centre was well organised with more than enough facilities that ensured smooth conduct of the exercise.

El-Suleiman told NAN that the centre officials and security personnel also demonstrated professionalism in their support to ensure that the candidates conducted themselves well.

He, however, disclosed that about 5 per cent of the candidates, with little knowledge of computers, struggled to operate the system, adding that they had to be helped to be able to write the examination.

El-Suleiman advised parents to ensure that their children understood basic computer operations so as not to be left behind in the computer-driven education system.

“A few of the candidates could not log in, while others could not find the delete key to change the wrong number they inputted.

“Also, parents should guide the children to read the instructions in the JAMB examination slip and follow the instructions as indicated.

“This is because most of the candidates come with their phones and other prohibited items to the centre, which becomes a distraction to them,” he said.

Some candidates, who acknowledged JAMB’s claim, also commended the university’s CBT centre for a hitch-free exercise and urged the centre to sustain the standard.

One of them, Muhammad Tukur, a first timer who expressed confidence of a good result, said the examination was smooth, adding that the centre was well coordinated.

Another candidate, Mss Evelyn Joseph, who wrote the examination for the second time, also expressed satisfaction with its conduct.

“The centre is well-coordinated, with no issue at all. The thumb printing had no issue and the computer systems worked as scheduled with fast internet. This is quite commendable,” she said.

Similarly, Jethro Kefas, who wants to be a computer scientist, equally lauded the exercise, saying that he finished ahead of time because the CBT centre was well organised.

“The security personnel were also very helpful and friendly. They helped us to organise ourselves during the examination,” he said.

The Centre Administrator, KASU, Mr Abdullahi Yusuf, ascribed the successes of the centre to early preparation.

“We are asking JAMB to bring more candidates to the KASU centre, having demonstrated the capacity to deliver quality information, and communication technology services.

“We are already working towards opening more centres to provide hitch-free services,” he said.

JAMB, in its Weekly Bulletin, said about 1.4 million candidates had so far sat for its 2022 exercise across the country, and their results would soon be released.