Reps panel backpedals on use of CBT by JAMB
House of Representatives Committee on Basic
Education yesterday backpedalled on the use of
computer-based test (CBT) by the Joint
Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for
candidates seeking admission into tertiary
institutions.
The committee had earlier rejected the system.
The House, in its sitting, had urged the Federal
Government to direct JAMB to revert to the
paper and pencil test (PPT) for candidates
taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME), following protests over
the use of CBT.
Chairman, House Committee on Basic
Education, Zakari Muhammed during a visit to
one of the centres in Bwari, FCT, Abuja
yesterday, told reporters that the use of CBT
was in line with global practice to sanitize the
education system
He noted that the House never took a position
on the use of CBT by JAMB.
Muhammed added that the House only
discussed the conduct of the examination by
the board.
He said those who wrote the examination
outside Nigeria were leveraging on the
flexibility and advantage of CBT.
According to him, the use of PPT by candidate
was cumbersome and characterized with
several irregularities and unwholesome
activities.
“The House of Representatives Committee on
Education is in support of the use of CBT by
JAMB. The world is flying and we cannot be
crawling.
“Today, those candidates are writing a
rescheduled examination some of whom are
sick because of the flexibility of CBT without
which they would not have had this
opportunity,” he said.
The chairman advised parents to be patient
with the board, adding that the process was not
as complex as it had been made to look.
He called on JAMB to identify the hitches and
address them, adding that the House would
support JAMB in putting infrastructure together
to see that the new examination regime was
stress-free.
Registrar, JAMB Prof. Dibu Ojerinde said the
rescheduled examination was one of the
flexibility of the CBT.
According to him, the conduct of the
rescheduled examinations for candidates, who
missed the UTME because of change in centres,
was due to the use of the CBT.
He noted that the major objective of the board
was to completely eliminate malpractice
through the conduct of the CBT.
“Only CBT has the capacity to address all the
challenge of the conduct of public examination
in the 21st century.
“The 21st century child in Nigeria irrespective of
where he or she comes from has no problem
with CBT. The complexity developed by
perpetrators of malpractice can never be
detected by Paper and Pencil Test,” he said.
Ojerinde noted that so far, over 37 per cent of
candidates scored 200 and above compared to
the 32 per cent last year.
He added that 59 per cent scored 180 and
above compared to the 55 per cent recorded
last year.
He said this year’s performance was better than
last year’s exercise.
Education yesterday backpedalled on the use of
computer-based test (CBT) by the Joint
Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for
candidates seeking admission into tertiary
institutions.
The committee had earlier rejected the system.
The House, in its sitting, had urged the Federal
Government to direct JAMB to revert to the
paper and pencil test (PPT) for candidates
taking the Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME), following protests over
the use of CBT.
Chairman, House Committee on Basic
Education, Zakari Muhammed during a visit to
one of the centres in Bwari, FCT, Abuja
yesterday, told reporters that the use of CBT
was in line with global practice to sanitize the
education system
He noted that the House never took a position
on the use of CBT by JAMB.
Muhammed added that the House only
discussed the conduct of the examination by
the board.
He said those who wrote the examination
outside Nigeria were leveraging on the
flexibility and advantage of CBT.
According to him, the use of PPT by candidate
was cumbersome and characterized with
several irregularities and unwholesome
activities.
“The House of Representatives Committee on
Education is in support of the use of CBT by
JAMB. The world is flying and we cannot be
crawling.
“Today, those candidates are writing a
rescheduled examination some of whom are
sick because of the flexibility of CBT without
which they would not have had this
opportunity,” he said.
The chairman advised parents to be patient
with the board, adding that the process was not
as complex as it had been made to look.
He called on JAMB to identify the hitches and
address them, adding that the House would
support JAMB in putting infrastructure together
to see that the new examination regime was
stress-free.
Registrar, JAMB Prof. Dibu Ojerinde said the
rescheduled examination was one of the
flexibility of the CBT.
According to him, the conduct of the
rescheduled examinations for candidates, who
missed the UTME because of change in centres,
was due to the use of the CBT.
He noted that the major objective of the board
was to completely eliminate malpractice
through the conduct of the CBT.
“Only CBT has the capacity to address all the
challenge of the conduct of public examination
in the 21st century.
“The 21st century child in Nigeria irrespective of
where he or she comes from has no problem
with CBT. The complexity developed by
perpetrators of malpractice can never be
detected by Paper and Pencil Test,” he said.
Ojerinde noted that so far, over 37 per cent of
candidates scored 200 and above compared to
the 32 per cent last year.
He added that 59 per cent scored 180 and
above compared to the 55 per cent recorded
last year.
He said this year’s performance was better than
last year’s exercise.
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