JAMB CBT: Kano students need computer tutorial- Investigation

Many students in Kano secondary schools precisely those from the rural areas are in dire need of computer tutorial to equip them with basic knowledge of handling computer at least for the conduct Computer-Based Test (CBT) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Kano Chronicle investigation, revealed. The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) introduced the CBT […]

Many students in Kano secondary schools precisely those from the rural areas are in dire need of computer tutorial to equip them with basic knowledge of handling computer at least for the conduct Computer-Based Test (CBT) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Kano Chronicle investigation, revealed.
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) introduced the CBT in 2012 as trial and was made compulsory just last year, thereby making it mandatory upon all JAMB candidates nationwide to write the computer based examination.
Kano Chronicle investigation indicated that many candidates that sat for this year’s JAMB CBT find it very difficult to even handle the computer not to talk of writing the exam online because they lacked basic knowledge for operating computer.
In one of the designated CBT centers, a candidate was said to have refused to use the mouse because of the light blinking on the computer mouse which the candidate thought it would shock him like the normal electricity shock.
Also commenting, a coordinating officer in one of the centers, who craved for anonymity, said the crux of the matter was that many of the students were not computer literate.
He said: “There are many of them who are not computer literate, we had to take more time guiding them on how to go about the whole process before commencing the exams and doing that is hectic and time consuming. Another problem associated with the process in some of the centers is network failure.
“I’m sorry to say that our students are not literate enough to conduct the CBT. If we must get it right, we must ensure that the students are well trained ahead of the exams,” he said.
Consequently, some candidates who spoke to Kano Chronicle, have confessed their deficiencies in handling computer, hence, called on the government to introduce a computer tutorial in all secondary schools across the state.
One of them Aminu Saleh, said unless government introduce a compulsory computer class in public schools to train students how to operate computer, candidates from Kano  would continue to fail the electronic test.
Saleh advised that “a special computer class should be introduced in public schools largely for tutorial to students. This will equip them with basic knowledge on computer so that when they come for CBT they will find it easy to operate computer.”
He told our correspondent that their exams were submitted before some of them could even answer one subject.
“I did not finish answering the questions when the exams were submitted. Now I don’t know my fate,” said Fatima Muhammad, a candidate at the AMNET center along BUK road.
Another student, Muhammad Kabir said he was able to answer only one subject, adding that, “when we started, the network was fluctuating and we wasted a lot of time. Surprisingly, the exams were submitted within the stipulated time without considering the problem we faced.”
Kano Chronicle further gathered that some of the students found it difficult to log in again after the server failure, making it difficult for them to meet the time set aside for the exams because they have not mastered the computer very well.
Another problem faced in some centers was the problem of electricity. At one of the centers, the students stayed up till 10 pm because the generating set available had problem and before the problem could be rectified, it was already late.
Some parents, who spoke to Kano Chronicle on the CBT, expressed their worry, lamenting that they were not happy with the development because it was affecting their children’s admission.
One of the parents, Abdul Garba said:  “I don’t think Nigeria is ripe enough for computer-based exams. Our level of computer literacy is very poor. How do you expect our students in public schools in remote areas to operate the computer correctly to be able to write the JAMB exams online?”
Garba said if government would want to get it right, it must ensure that students get all the required knowledge of computer before completing the secondary school, “computer literacy must be made compulsory in our secondary schools and the computers must be provided so that students will learn it practically not just in theory.”
Another parent, Malama Binta Inuwa said the JAMB exams should be scrapped because even after passing the UTME the students had to undergo Post-UTME exams at the universities to qualify for admission.
Binta said: “I once heard a professor from BUK saying the JAMB exams could not fetch candidates admission into the university, rather it should be combination of the UTME and Post-UTME conducted by the university.”
She added that if the universities were not considering only the UTME for admission the candidates and parents must not be put to this untold hardship of sourcing for money to register for the exams and for going through the difficulties of writing the computer-based exams.
Our correspondent who visited some of the JAMB centers reports that intermittent network made it difficult for the candidates to beat time, with many having their exams submitted uncompleted.