The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB ) has said it contemplating a new policy to allow the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates to write the examinations with their phones and other devices.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede disclosed this in Abuja on Saturday at the 2023 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions.
According to him, the proposed policy was based on the rising cost of logistics in taking the UTME nationwide.
He further said that it cost JAMB over N1.2 billion to equip a Computer Based Test (CBT) centre in Kaduna state, particularly in procuring computers that candidates use to take the examination.
”The policy which falls under the “Bring Your Own Device” may require candidates wishing to take UTME in the future to bring their own devices to the examination hall,” he said.
At the policy meeting, the registrar expressed concern over the craving for university education among candidates to the detriment of polytechnics and colleges of education.
While condemning the wide disparity in admission quotas in the country, he advised aspiring candidates to explore other options within the tertiary education sector for admission.
Meanwhile, Miss Umeh Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere, a female candidate from Anambra state, has been confirmed by the board as the best candidate in the 2023 UTME after scoring 360.
Nkechinyere sat for the examination in Ogun State, and applied to the University of Lagos (UNILAG) to study chemical engineering.
Similarly, a male candidate from Edo State, Aguele Stephen Oseruha, was confirmed by JAMB as second best in the examination scoring 358.
He sat for the examination in Edo State, and applied to University of Benin (UNIBEN) to study computer engineering.
Oseruha was closely followed by another male candidate, Ositade Oluwafemi Anthony, who is from Ogun State and took the examination in Ogun State.
The candidate also scored 358 and applied to study computer engineering at University of Lagos (UNILAG).
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed the information at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Policy Meeting in Abuja on Saturday.
The meeting comprises of heads of tertiary institutions in the country and they are expected to deliberate and decide on criteria for 2023 admission into all the tertiary institutions.
Though the ages of candidates that applied to study at UNILAG were not disclosed, there are indications that UNILAG doesn’t offer admission to candidate below the age of 16, irrespective of UTME score.
