Some candidates who sat for the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as well as parents have applauded the new mechanisms and improved innovations which they said has made the examination easier and faster.

Recall that Registrar of the Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede had noted that new mechanisms were put in place for a seamless examination process, and also to ward off fraudulent activities.

Candidates and parents who spoke to our correspondent during monitoring of the examination in some centres within the FCT, described the 2024 UTME as the best so far.

During various visits to Rosa Mystical Academy Montessori and Adeola International Schools, the sessions were ongoing smoothly, verification exercises were seamless and candidates awaiting their session were waiting patiently at comfortable waiting sections provided by the Computer Based Test (CBT) centres.

Philly Victory, applied for English Education, Literature and wrote her exams at Adeola International Schools. Excited the questions were relatively simple, she commended JAMB for making the questions easy for candidates to attempt.

“The exam was okay, no noise, everything was perfect. The computers were working really fine, nothing was wrong. The accreditation process was just clean, there was no delay of any sorts. Everything was going according to number.

Ogah Happiness who also commended JAMB for making the 2024 UTME easier for candidates unlike previous year’s, is hopeful she will finally scale through to study her dream course of International Relations.

According to her, there was a massive technical improvement as there was no record of delay as a result of technical glitches witnessed in previous UTME she has say for

“The exam was okay, it was so simple. The arrangement was okay, everything was just fine they were no issues, no. complications.

“I prefer this year’s experience than the last one I sat for. This one is much more better than last year in many ways including malfunctioning of the computers and some other delays here and there.”

Ambrose Prosper who wrote his exams at Rosa Mystical Academy Montessori also noted that he and others who wrote in same session as well as the session before theirs did not encounter any technical challenge.

“We went in at the right time for our exams, there was no complain even from the session before us of any form of problem whatsoever neither did I encounter any challenge at all.

“JAMB has really improved on the examinations it’s just for us to study hard so that we can pass the examinations. If you don’t study hard that is when you will come out frowning or SA’s because the questions are relatively simple.

Although Stephen Ugochukwu unlike other candidates who spoke to our correspondent raised concerns that the questions were difficult, the Computer Science applicant commended JAMB for the smooth accreditation and examination processes.

“The exam was fine but difficult. The chemistry mixed with physics was very difficult but with God everything will be fine. Generally the examination was fine, accreditation smooth, there was no delay or time wasting both during the accreditation and exams
I think government really tried, it was well organised.”

A parent, Bamidele Stephens, was confident that as the years goes by, JAMMB would continue to improve on its services and conduct of examinations as currently.being witnessed in the 2024 UTME.

Commenting.on the possibility.of technical glitches, he said: “It is not something that cannot happen, it’s expected because even life itself is not constant talk more of technological glitches Is a normal thing, even the network on our phones seizes at times but it depends on how fast they can address the fault.

“I haven’t heard any candidate who sat for the exams complain of that and I believe they must have tested all the computers and are ready for the examination.”

On the directive by the JAMB Registrar asking parents to keep off the CBT centres, he noted that no reasonable parent would want to cause chaos or distractions knowing that it could affect the centre and candidates.

He however maintained that it would be difficult for parents not to accompany their children or Ward’s to sit for the examinations as they were still young and need guidance.

“Some.of these children you see do not go out on there own how then can you say they should go and write exams alone?

“We still need to guide them, give them the moral encouragement they need with our presence and make sure they are safe so for security reasons, we have to be with them because they can’t go out on their own.

“My daughter sat for her UTME mock at Keffi, we left Abuja 4:30 am in order to beat the time.

“Will I say I should leave her alone to embark on such a trip? We need to make sure they are at the right places at the appropriate time.

The supervisors who noted they were not authorised to speak, were however excited that the 2024 UTME exercise did not encounter the magnitude of technical glitches encountered in the past, due to the commitment of the Registrar of the Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, to ensure a seamless process

At the time of visit to Adeola International Schools, two candidates were struggling to get their biometrics captured. After several failed attempts, they were requested to hold on a short while.

The supervisor Rasheedi Ojutikun who said the cases would be handled, noted that only four students since the commencement of the examinations had biometric issues and have been rescheduled as promised by the Registrar, to sit for the examination after they were cleared and confirmed they registered for the examination.

“They were registered actually just that their biometrics, their fingerprint, is not being captured. They actually said it took them time and during registration. they had problems too.It was finally captured.

“If after a long time of going through this process to see if it will capture them and we are still unable to capture. we’ll just have to record them as unverified and sent to JAMB to take care of just like the others ”

Ojutikun who commended the CBT management for meeting JAMB’s standards,said parents of candidates have kept their distance even though the structure of the school prevents them access to the examination area.

“The owner of the school, she’s always around. She makes sure things are done appropriately. We’ve not had any issue with any parent. I think the parents too, didn’t come to ferment trouble and the school itself is completely fenced so the parents don’t have access to the exam area.

The supervisor at Rosa mystical Academy Montessori who gave his name as Musbau,.said he wasn’t authorised to speak. He however noted that thus far, the CBT centre had not encountered any form.of challenge.