Over 80% of 98,232 candidates eligible for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) mop-up exam failed to attend, JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede revealed during a monitoring exercise in Abuja.
The low turnout, with only 12% of registered candidates appearing, was attributed to intensified security measures targeting impersonators and exam cheats. Oloyede explained that the mop-up exam, typically for 4,000–5,000 candidates with legitimate reasons like illness or technical issues, was expanded this year due to widespread absences in the main UTME. JAMB collaborated with security agencies, including the DSS and police, to curb malpractices.
Oloyede highlighted that some CBT centres, expecting 250 candidates per session, recorded fewer than 20 attendees. He pointed to syndicates, including tutorial centres and private school proprietors, as key perpetrators of examination malpractices. Notably, 1,787 candidates falsely claimed albinism to exploit facial recognition vulnerabilities, a sharp rise from previous years’ figures of under 100.
The registrar warned that suspected impersonators, identified through their NINs, phone numbers, and school records, face accountability, with some already apprehended. JAMB also uncovered parents financing malpractices, who may soon face investigation. In a related development, 14 candidates were caught presenting forged certificates for Direct Entry admissions.
Oloyede noted a case where 20–30 students, who never attended NCE programs, were fraudulently awarded certificates to register for Direct Entry. One student, finishing secondary school in 2021, was falsely documented as admitted to an NCE program in 2020. The Ministry of Education’s resolve to combat exam malpractice aims to minimize such fraud.
Leave a comment