The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have instructed all owners of computer-based testing centers to detain any parent discovered in the vicinity of any of their locations during the 2024 UTME session.
The body declared that all preparations for the 2024 UTME, which will take place in more than 700 CBT locations around the country, had been completed.
The directive was given during the virtual final briefing for the owners of Computer-Based Test Centers on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
The board stated that the directive was required as a result of certain parents’ intrusive behavior during earlier board exercises.
Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, the Registrar, stated that “any parent who disobeys the order will not only face arrest but also have their ward banned from taking the exam”.
“Over time, it has been shown that many of these intruding parents facilitate examination offenses, and others have disturbed the Board’s tests in the past by their actions. For this reason, this approach is required. Some criminals even pose as parents in order to enter the facilities and commit other offenses”.
As a result, the Registrar said that the Board has instructed security personnel to collaborate with the centers in order to capture any parent who meddles and approaches the centers.
In order to enter the centers and commit any kind of offense, some criminals even pose as parents. As a result, the Registrar disclosed that the Board has instructed security personnel to collaborate with the centers in order to capture any parents who meddle and approaches the centers.”
According to the current National Education policy, an applicant for the exam must be at least 17 years old, according to the board’s helmsman. It is therefore clear that these parents did not permit their children to complete the classes as outlined in the document; as a result, they made the decision to accompany their children to the examination venue in order to undermine the integrity of the examination officials.
In any case, Oloyede stated, “Any astute observer can see that these parents should be punished because they had blatantly “smuggled” minor children into the ranks of those who were supposed to take the test.”
The board also took advantage of the meeting’s chance to counsel candidates to protect their registration and phone numbers, as well as their personal information, including their email addresses.
This caution is given in light of the possibility that some candidates will fall for one of the many fraudulent websites that exist. As a result, the Board warned applicants that they would be considered collaborators and face legal action if their information was discovered on any of these websites.
He said that although the Board has taken sufficient precautions to address any potential technical issues that may arise during the test, it still anticipates a flawless exercise.
He did, however, issue a warning: in the event that a technical issue arose during a session, candidates in the following sessions would be permitted to take their exams as planned, while the candidates in the challenged session would be rescheduled for the day’s last session, the day after, or even later, contingent upon the schedules of the respective centers. It is important for candidates to remember this so they can maintain composure in case there is a disturbance. Consequently, any parent or candidate who ends up disrupting a following session because of a failed session will be automatically excluded from the exam.
Oloyede also urged center owners to view the job as a National commitment rather than as a business endeavor driven solely by profit. He pushed them to identify the rogue members of the group.
The Registrar reminded everyone that, although CBT centers had previously been permitted to register Direct Entry candidates but this practice had been discontinued because they have a tendency to commit fraud in spite of the numerous opportunities the Board had provided for them, particularly by ensuring that other agencies would use them. Therefore, he advised center owners to avoid immoral behavior or risk missing out on important chances.
He conveyed his dismay at the several intelligence reports demonstrating the CBT centers’ attempts to undermine Board employees, particularly by offering lodging. He questioned why they would want to do that given how often they express dissatisfaction over their pay. He emphasized that the centers should not be hesitant to report any employees who beg for favors, since the Board had paid its employees enough for the exercise in compliance with government laws. If a center continues to do this, he suggested that it may be hiding something.
The participants were notified by the Registrar that the Board had implemented state-of-the-art technologies to verify any kind of violations, partnerships, or other shady activities that go against its code of conduct.
