No bags, gadgets allowed in UTME centres - Jamb

Candidates sitting for the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have been warned to take only their e-registration slips and biros to examination centres.

The examination gets fully under way today, with candidates expected to sit for two or three sessions daily.

Though the instructions are stated on the e-slips that bags, gadgets, calculators and phones are not allowed, many candidates took them to centres monitored in Lagos on Saturday, where 30 of the 53 centres held one session of the examination.

However, they were forced to keep their property outside, some with strangers.

Many were also sent away to re-print their e-registration slips because they brought the wrong ones to the centres.

Dr. Beatrice Okorie, who heads the Lagos annex of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) headquarters, said they were not expected to come with the items.

“The instructions were clear. But many of them still came with bags and phones. We sent them away to go drop their bags,” said Dr. Okorie, who supervised the centre at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH).

Regarding the correct e-registration slip, she said: “Before the examination commenced, the candidates were supposed to re-print their e-registration slips because the first one does not contain their centre and examination numbers. That was why some who did not were told to re-print the correct one,” she said.

At the West Midland Communication Limited Centre in Ikeja, candidates with bags and others were also sent away.

The officials told parents to give their wards fare and leave.

However, some parents ignored the advice and waited outside the premises for the 2-hour 45 minutes duration of the examination. They helped to keep property for some candidates as well.

The examination was hitch-free in many centres across Lagos. However, there was a problem at Universal White Hall College in Fagba, Iju. Candidates were relocated to Bachel Model College, Ogba.

The reason for the change was not explained to candidates and their parents grumbled about the last minute change, made at 10 am.

Efforts to speak with the school officials proved abortive, as the headteacher, Mrs. Temilola, neither answered her phone nor showed up.

A parent, Mrs. Adesanya, said: “It is bad that they changed it like that without any warning. It was difficult finding this new venue but thank God we are here now and everything is going on well.”

But Bachel Model College was ready by the time the candidates reached there. The college is supposed to serve as a UTME centre from March 7.

The headteacher, Mr. Adekunle Adeleke, said the school responded to a distress call from Universal White Hall College a few minutes before 9 am.

“They said they were experiencing technical issues at Universal White Hall College. I don’t know what it was but I think it had to do with their router. So, we gathered our staff impromptu and got things set. Lucky for us, we were prepared,” he said.

Adeleke said the college had facilities for 270 candidates, and additional 30 computers as backups.

The school’s proprietor, Mr. Ayokunle Fasusi, said it took between N8 and N9 million to get the centre ready to host UTME.

“By the time the exam was over, the JAMB officials gave us an excellent grade in their report,” he said.

The exams held between noon and 2 pm at Bachel and there were no hitches.

While only one session of the examination held on Saturday, from today, Dr. Okorie said there would be two or three sessions daily for the 14-day duration.

Besides the 30 split 1 centres, Dr. Okorie said there were 23 Split 2 centres in Lagos, which will start conducting the examination from March 7, 2016.

The examination is expected to end on March 11.