JAMB gives registration, exams guideline for 2019 UTME

• Sale of forms start Jan 10, bans 50 CBT centres

Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede , on Thursday, in Lagos, announced the date of sales of UTME forms and month for the examinations.

Oloyede who debunked claims that JAMB had stated sales of 2019 forms months ago, said that the Board would commence the sale of UTME forms January 10, 2019.

According to him, the sales will last for six weeks, followed by examination in March.

He said: “Sales of forms begins January 10, and it will be sold for six weeks.”

Addressing owners and managers of 817 accredited CBT centres across the country, Oloyede warned them against conniving with candidates in any form of malpractice, adding that 50 CBT centres that were found culpable in the last examination have been band.

Oloyede who warned every prospecting candidate to discard all unregistered cyber cafe centres, urged them to choose any of the 718 centres if they want to receive any major JAMB services.

Speaking during the meeting held at the University of Lagos, Oloyede explained what led to the ban of some CBT centres.

He said: “There were more than five culprits in different part of country.

“Some of them used some technology to extend the place of registration, thereby duped the candidates.

“Contrary to normal registration procedures, registering candidates off site, such candidates thumb prints will not be there and at the point of examination, the candidate will not be able to write the exam.

“They did that for so many reasons, including having access to our private network and a number of them have been arrested and we have interviewed them.

“At one of the centres at Igara in Edo State, they did a lot of infractions. One of it was that, a staff was writing for a candidate and because we monitored it from a far.

“I came there personally and we moved to their system, unknown to them that we have copied it. They tampered with their CD and erased it from the CD by the time they were summiting to us and we felt that was a very serious infraction.

“They were extorting candidates, over charging and doing services they do not have the capacity to do. Talking on the improvement in the various CBT centres, he said: “We are now moving to improving the services at the centres particularly the CBT offices across the country. They are in shambles and we want to pay attention to the facilities at the states level.

“We want to also provide incentives for our staff. We believe that some of them are forced by necessity to do unethical things and we believe if we increase their welfare, it will have more legitimate ground to sanction those who do what they are not suppose to do.”

For blind candidates, Oloyede said: “The blind candidates will have special centres. Some of our officials will be in UK next week where all the assessment bodies who are attending to the blind will meet with a way of finding the best technology to use for them at the cheapest price because of the rate of exchange.

“For those who can use brail machine, they are a available, we will give them but for those who are not used to such, we will use the best method and that’s why we have set up a committee of experts under Professor Peter Okebukola to look for all inclusive methods to attend and bend to suit the purposes of all these peculiar candidates.”