JAMB, why the haste for CBT?

Students complained that the computers were not ready; they were not properly programmed for the CBT and some even did not save answers they entered automatically! Another case to which I am witness was a centre where candidate had to use almost four to five computers before they finished their papers. This happened as result […]

Students complained that the computers were not ready; they were not properly programmed for the CBT and some even did not save answers they entered automatically! Another case to which I am witness was a centre where candidate had to use almost four to five computers before they finished their papers. This happened as result of continuous automatic shutdowns of the systems, and in most cases some answers were lost or time expired before the candidates were through. This is unfortunate and sad. It is a clear indication that there will be mass failure.
Moreover, apart from the technical problems, there was no punctuality in almost all CBT centres across the country, when it started on Monday, March 9, 2015. Those who should have commenced by 6am could not start until 10am, just as those slated for 10am could not start till 2pm. And the moment a candidate spent one and half hours, the computer shut down, even though the duration of the test was three hours, thirty minutes. There was a centre in Malumfashi, Katsina State, where candidates were stranded because they started by 5pm, and were not through until 9pm.
The use of computers to conduct public exam is really of immense importance, as it reduces examination malpractices to the barest minimum and provides assurance for fair marking of scripts; but Nigeria has not grown to that level especially when one looks at the deteriorating level of our electricity. Perhaps that is why most centres conducted the exam with generators.  What kind of ‘development’ is this?
I would like to draw the attention of Federal Ministry of Education and JAMB to come to the rescue of students. The system used in last year’s UTME was better; that is both Computer-Based Test (CBT) and Paper and Pencil Test (PPT) where candidates had the choice of either the one or the other; this method helped a lot.

Ammar Abdulhamid, Biological Science Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria <[email protected]>;