In light of the start of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Friday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is urging candidates who encountered technical difficulties during the exam to remain composed as they will be rescheduled.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyode, the JAMB Registrar, made this appeal while speaking to reporters after overseeing the exam in Kogo-Bwari, Abuja. He noted that overall, the UTME had proceeded smoothly, with only one center encountering issues.
“We ask for understanding from the public. It is expected that some centers may face challenges. I am aware of only one center encountering difficulties today. By the end of the day, about 10 percent of the centers may experience some issues due to varying levels of infrastructure across different regions of the country.
“We do not condone these challenges, but in the event they occur, we urge candidates not to disrupt others. If a session is disrupted, those affected will be rescheduled. They cannot join subsequent sessions, but will be accommodated later, after 4:30 p.m., allowing other sessions to proceed. In some cases, they may even be scheduled for the following day,” he explained.
Oloyode also expressed discomfort with the practice of awarding scholarships solely based on UTME performance, as this does not consider other admission criteria.
“Yes, MTN and other organizations offer scholarships to top performers, but we discourage this because excelling in the UTME alone does not signify overall excellence. Other factors, such as O Level grades and post-UTME scores, are also important. For instance, if applying to NDA, physical fitness is considered. Premature ranking can mislead. Scoring 330 in UTME with seven A1s may seem impressive, but when considered holistically, the ranking may differ,” he emphasized.
The 2024 UTME is being conducted nationwide today and will continue tomorrow.
