Rev Niyi Adebayo
JAMB took a very bold and audacious decision to translate from paper exams to Computer Based Test (CBT). It was a laudable move to align with global standard. Such migration was definitely not expected to be itch-free, especially given our peculiarities as a nation with almost zero facilities for hybrid learning.
There are times we spoil a good case with a bad approach. The Latin slogan, ex nihilo nihil fit seems to be saying you cannot put something upon nothing and expect it to stand. Our decision to trade paper for computers in the conduct of UTME is a baby of necessity. No nation preaches technological innovation and remains stuck to primordial norms. Again, the CBT system should reduce exam malpractices from registration to writing and to result computation.
The 2025 edition of UTME drew condemnation from various quarters. Some people condemned the timing of the exam; that 6:30am was too early for those teenagers. Some condemned the way candidates were being sent to exam locations far away from their cities. Perhaps, the hottest virtuperation was on the huge number of those who failed the exams, possibly as a result of the itches.
In my opinion, there are enough blames to go round:
1. Government: Some of those candidates were working on computers for the first time inside UTME centre. They didn’t know what to do with the system. How many public secondary schools in our country can boast of 50 computers in her pool? Nobody should expect JAMB to provide such facilities for tutorial. In my city, we have about 86 public secondary schools and about 129 private secondary schools, bringing the total to 215 (plus or minus). Not up to 7 of these schools have such facilities to tutor their students on CBT. The government should have thought of this and its concommitant effects on the logistics. Let our government, especially at the state level look into this. Nothing stops the FG to channel part of TetFund intervention to computerise our colleges. Even for a private school, putting up a well-equipped ICT/CBT Centre is damn expensive financially and intellectually. The government loses nothing if either BoI or other financial institutions make a single digit loan available for registered schools that are keen about this drive.
2. The Community: Community participation in educational services in Nigeria is still a nightmare. PTA bodies, philanthropists, old students association, religious groups, NGOs, business organisations and individuals should start thinking of partnerships with secondary schools in this respect. The government cannot do it all.
3. JAMB: I do not know if the edict that established JAMB made it a profit-making agency for the government. I think JAMB should rather choose to be heroic in providing itch-free services than the volume of income generated for the government. While it’s not bad to make money for the government, the question of priority should be sorted.
With the strict order from the FG through the Ministry of Education that WAEC and NECO are to run on CBT fully from 2026, one wonders if we are doing anything to make this happen.
We need not subject these little boys and girls to further internal brutality and emotional torture if we are not going to do anything differently.
I cannot advocate a return to paper test. We have made a great decision to translate to CBT. I only plead that the precepts be reworked. It is a collective responsibility.
Niyi Adebayo is the Director of De Zoe GMP Schools Ltd, Ogbomoso.
