Why CBT centres’ licences for UTME 2020 licences were revoked

Uji Abdullahi Iliyasu looks at the measures the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board has taken to check sharp practices in licensed agents of JAMB in the ongoing registration and reports that eleven centres have been sanctioned.

Eleven licences withdrawn

The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has withdrawn licences of 11 centres for charging candidates exorbitant amount in the registration of 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME).

The registrar of JAMB, Professor Is’haq Oloyede, disclosed this in Abuja Tuesday during an interactive session with officers and men of the Nigeria Security and civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), banks, e-transact, digital partner network, interswitch and other stakeholders.

Oloyede said that the proliferation of tutorial centres was a major concern as most of the centres engaged in fraud and corruption, during registrations and examinations.

He further said that charging above the stipulated N4,700 for the 2020 UTME registration was illegitimate and would only destroy the nation; as it was an act of fraud and corruption.

He said that the exorbitant amounts charged could have negative effects on the nation and would destroy the system.

“Many people make illegitimate money from the examination and we will be destroying the nation, if we don’t get things right.

“Prior to 2018, we sell form for N5,000; but the Federal Government considers so many things and felt the money was much so in 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari decided that the cost should be slashed; which brought the cost to N3,500.

“Also, prior to this time, there were unscrupulous people selling as high as N10,000. We now democratised the sale of the forms, to make it available so that it will not be possible for those selling to hoard the forms.

“We felt the banks are overcrowded so we decided to expand the sales outlet, to bring in mobile money operators to cover all the registered banks.

“The effects of the expansion are that some people are still penetrating the banks, thereby increasing the cost of the sale of form,” Oloyeded said.

Oloyede said that the board was magnanimous enough to pay the sum of N210 as commission for each of the forms sold, to about 2 million candidates nationwide; saying extorting the candidates was unjust.

He added that the board was working closely with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to ensure that any agent who sold above the prescribed fee was brought to book.

He, therefore, called on NSCDC to assist in arresting any erring centre while also calling on candidates to report any centre involved in the act, to commandants in their various states.

He also said that the board, in a bid to eradicate the problems and as well as to ensure tracking, had directed its agents selling forms to ensure they have the National Identification Number (NIN).

Centres sanctioned

The registrar listed some of the centres whose licences were withdrawn to include Federal Polytechnics, Mubi; Adamawa; Adazi-Nnukwu ICT/CBT for selling forms at N5,000, Emkenlyn Computers, Nnaemeka Secondary School, Anambra.

Others are: New Kings and Queens Bayelsa, for selling at N5,500; Brightfield Secondary School, Delta, for selling between N6,000 and N8,000; A-Pagen Consolidated Port Harcourt, for selling at N5,000 and Influential School Port Harcourt, for selling at N6,000.

 The cost of the registration is N3,500, cost of materials is N500 and N700 for the CBT centres; totalling N4,700.

NSCDC Commandant-General

Meanwhile, the Commandant-General of  NSCDC, Mr Abdullahi Muhammadu, urged the Board to limit the tutorial centres in the country, while making sure that lists of certified tutorial centres were revealed to reduce infractions, as it relates to examinations.

Muhammadu also called on commandants in the various states, to make integrity their watchword, in order not to betray the confidence the board has in them and Nigerians.

Panic buying

The registrar said that panic buying by UTME candidates, and encouraged by parents, encouraged the extortion of candidates by unscrupulous elements,  the action he said, was worse than the extortion itself.

The registrar lamented that the federal government had cut down the price of UTME registration from N5000 to N3500 to reduce the burden on parents but some unscrupulous elements in the registration process were devising dubious means to extort the candidates and their parents.

“In order to do this, these people purposely created bottleneck to create panic in candidates in order to extort them with ease,” he said.

He said to put off the eyes of money outlets from the registration money candidates paid, JAMB gives N210 as commission to all sale outlets for each form sold.

“The extortion of candidates is ongoing all over the centres across Nigeria. For this, we are asking you (Nigeria Security and civil Defence Corps, NSCDC) to assist the JAMB in arresting the situation.

 “Every JAMB agent, both original and sub-agents, have national identification number (NIN) to prevent enemies of the state from using them.”

Speaking further, Oloyede said the so-called tutorial centres that were immersed in examination malpractices  are owned by school certificate holders who are only out for making huge profits from extorting candidates and parents. He therefore, asked NSCD to focus attention on tutorial centres which, he says, have become training grounds for examination malpractice.

“We allow all licensed banks to go CBT centres but some centres are rejecting the bank agents. If we find that such action takes place in a CBT centre, we will withdraw its licence.” 

The registrar said some parents are destroying the future of their children by choosing courses for them in the universities not knowing that  destiny is not dependent on what is read from school.

JAMB under fire for NIN requirement

The compulsory requirement for NIN in relation to the limited timeframe between its acquisition and sitting for UTME had attracted criticisms from stakeholders, thus many prominent stakeholders advised the Board to suspend the compulsory requirement the National Identification Number (NIN).

Many believed that the suspension would provide enough capacity to cope with the volume of persons seeking registration within the very short time limit given by JAMB.

The NIN suspension

JAMB, under pressure, has suspended the use of NIN for registration for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The registrar of JAMB, Professor Is’haq  Oloyede, made this known while speaking to newsmen in Abuja.

He said the decision was made to provide more time for candidates to get their national identification numbers.

Oloyede also stated that the suspension was to address the technical challenges experienced at some centres, adding that the exam body would consider the use of NIN for 2021 examinations.

“We also decided to suspend that prerequisite based on some technical issues on ground,” he said.

 “We came to a decision yesterday and decided that we will suspend the use of NIN as a prerequisite for the 2020 UTME and Direct Entry (DE) registration until 2021.

“By then, all candidates would have been given one year notice to register.

“This does not affect our permanent and ad hoc staff who will participate in the exercise as they will require the NIN for verification.

“We have gone round and seen the passion and commitment of the candidates; the reality on ground is that what we expect is not attainable at the moment, so we shall not inflict more pain on candidates.”

The registrar also noted that technical issues on ground with regards to the system of registration at the NIMC, was one of the major reasons for the suspension.

According to him, plans are underway for the provision of a more advanced system that will be more efficient for the exercise.

He also said that the board as well as NIMC would continue to share its intelligence reports as well as other plans for the smooth conduct of the exercise in future.

NIN to tackle malpractice

Oloyeded reiterated that the need for NIN as a prerequisite for the exercise was to tackle identity fraud during examinations.

Also speaking, the Director-General of NIMC, Mr Aliyu Azeez, said that the move was necessary as the Commission was overwhelmed with the exercise within the short time given.

He said that NIMC had only 1,000 centres around the country for the exercise and would need up to 4,000 to conduct such exercise.

He however, stated that the partnership with JAMB would continue while advising parents and candidates for the 2021 UTME to use the opportunity to acquire the number within the stipulated time to avoid last-minute rushes.

Azeez also said that by 2021, NIMC registration would be made available at JAMB Computer-Based Tests (CBT) centres nationwide, with operators on ground to capture candidates.

JAMB has fixed this year’s examination for March 14 to April 4, while an optional mock examination for candidates is scheduled for February 18.

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