The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede has disclosed that the hue over the poor performance of students in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination is not only exaggerated but also misplaced.
He added that though UTME is not an achievement test but a ranking test aimed at grading a group of candidates for equitable placement into tertiary institutions, yet, government and stakeholders should interrogate the facilities available for candidates preparing to enter higher institutions of learning in Nigeria.
Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of JAMB’s The International Talent Resort Centre, Alarape, Gbongan, Osun state on Wednesday, he said the body has substantially won the war against examination malpractices, saying no amount of blackmail would deter the body from ridding the education system of the illicit act of examination syndicates.
He also counseled tertiary institutions to pay attention to the activities of examination fraudsters parading themselves tutorial masters in charge of IJMB and JUPEB units destroying the education system.
” The future of our country depends on how far we can go to improve on the standard of education. The recent uproar on the exaggerated poor performance of candidates who sat for the 2021 UTME is misplaced. Nevertheless, the 2021 UTME result offers the opportunity to all of us to interrogate the quality of preparation of and facilities for candidates into the tertiary education system in Nigeria.
“Many may not have noticed that shortly before the commencement of 2021 UTME, a cartel published a fake digital past UTME Question Papers and was circulating fake questions and answers claiming to be genuinely from JAMB. Many parents who fell for the scam must have now realised how wrong they and their not so innocent children were.
This explains why many students had to collapse in the examination hall when reality stared them in the face. This is a lesson for people to realize that the days of examination malpractice in JAMB conducted examinations is over and over forever.
“It is high time, the Governments, particularly the state governments paid sufficient attention to combating the highly organized gang of examination fraudsters who in almost every city of the nation operate under the guise of tutorial classes in largely uncompleted dilapidated buildings with unqualified tutors and proprietors whose expertise is forging A/level qualifications and corrupting the education system.
“A recent experiment by Bayero University, Kano shows that as high as 96% of the A/level results being churned out (courtesy of these tutorial centers) are fake. The states and security agencies, therefore, need to pay sufficient attention to the fast-expanding illicit education gangsters.
“Tertiary institutions also need to – pay particular attention to the fact that these examination fraudsters parading themselves as tutorial masters are infiltrating vastly and deeply into the institutions- IJMB and JUPEB units -wreaking untold havoc on the education system.
Speaking on the talent resort centre, Oloyede said the edifice first phase project comprises of an office and a 550 seater CBT centre, saying, “this International Talent Resort is programmed to be an integrated ultra-modern educational facility to serve all researchers, particularly those engaged in various academic services of the Board”.
Speaking, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola who was represented by the Secretary to the state government, Prince Wole Oyebamiji remarked that the center is another feather added to the many garlands that have rightfully characterized the Oloyede leadership in JAMB.
He assured JAMB of enabling an atmosphere defined by unrivaled tranquility that can facilitate serious intellectual and relaxation adventure adding that is one of the states that enjoy electricity supply the most in the country.
In his remarks, the Olufi of Gbongan, Oba (Dr) Adetoyese Oyeniyi expressed gratitude to JAMB authorities and assured the body of the support of his subjects.
Vanguard News Nigeria
