SchoolNewsNG Be Educationally Informed, Academically Sound
Controversy has continued to trail the results of the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). In a recent development, educationists and parents have demanded a remark or outright cancellation of the examination to pave way for a fresh exercise.
Reacting to this, the National President, Association of Formidable Educational Development (AFED), otherwise called low-profile schools, Mr Orji Kanu, said this year’s examination should not have taken place considering the backlog of those who are already qualified for the available little spaces existing in universities.
He alleged that mass failure of candidates might be a deliberate ploy by the examination body to give room to only a few prospective students to join those already on queue from last year’s examination; adding that it seems JAMB is more focused on revenue drive rather than its primary responsibility of selecting qualified candidates who can fill few spaces available in our institutions
Another educationist, Sammy Ndubuisi, urged JAMB to undertake a holistic review of the exercise to unravel the cause of the mass failure, whether human, programming or some other scientific error.
He stated that if a majority of candidates are affected, drastic measures have to be taken, including re-marking or re-running the tests, at no cost to the candidates.
Similarly, Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO) has described this year’s UTME as the worst in recent years. The group lamented that the examination was marred by irregularities, including unnecessary frustration of candidates, extortion, computer malfunction, multiple results and subjecting candidates to danger and risk.
Speaking at the annual review of public examinations, the association, led by Mr Dotun Sodunke, said considering the plethora of errors in the initial results released and subsequent mass failure, it is most likely that the software used in marking the script malfunctioned.
Sodunke recalled that a similar situation played out in 2013/2014 during the tenure of Prof Dibu Ojerinde, when JAMB had to add 40 marks to the score of some science students after results had been released.
I am not happy with the way the jamb exam this year played out. Even though I got 291, I am not happy because I know I could have gotten above 330 in the exam this year. Cancelling the exam would be stressful for us who have done very well. I do not agree with cancellation, and I also do not believe that those who failed this year did so well in the exam because, most of the people I met who scored above 270, are people who are very bright. I am yet to meet someone who is not bright scoring above 270. REMARKING THE EXAM WOULD BE THE RIGHT THING TO DO. WHEN THIS IS DONE, THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN KNOW WHO ACTUALLY PASSED AND WHO ACTUALLY FAILED THE EXAM. I BELIEVE THAT MANY PEOPLE PASSED, WHICH INDICATES THAT ENTERING SCHOOL WOULD BE RATHER MORE COMPETITIVE, BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE VERY HIGH CUT OFF MARK
??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ? ?????? ??? 265 last year this year I got a shocking 203 When I know what I wrote In the exam was easy please explain this.
I CANNOT EXPLAIN THE OUTCOME OF YOUR OWN RESULT BECAUSE I DID NOT WRITE FOR YOU. SOMEBODY CAN SAY HE WROTE BUT MAY NOT ACTUALLY WRITE ANYTHING. THAT IS WHY I AM SAYING THAT JAMB SHOULD REMARK THE EXAM SO THAT WE CAN KNOW WHO REALLY PASSED AND WHO FAILED. YOU SHOULD BE FIGHTING FOR JAMB TO REMARK AND NOT CANCEL THE EXAM. THE STRESS OF WRITING AGAIN WOULD TOW DOWN ON YOU, AND THAT IS A PROMISE.
I do not see how writing again will be stressful when you already know what to do. Unless you just crammed or didn’t really prepare.
Do you know what it means to go and do registration for jamb again in the same year? Do you know what it means to prepare yourself mentally again for the same exam in the same year? When I say stress to the brain, I am talking about the mental preparation for the exam. You would not understand this, if you have not written many external examinations.