By Adebayo Olodan with agency report
Some candidates, who sat for day one of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, at the weekend commended the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), even as few panicked due to their unfamiliarity with the use of computers.
JAMB had stated that candidates participating in the UTME should not be complaining of not knowing their examination centres when they have not gone to print their slip.
Some of the candidates who sat for the examination said they panicked as they had challenges getting acquainted with the computers at their respective centres in Ilorin.
Speaking with our reporter on Saturday, a candidate who sat for the examination at Effective International College, Tanke, Adeola Ajibade, said she wasted much time in moving from one subject to another.
“It was a torrid time for me despite my little knowledge of computer despite the fact I sat for the mock examination. We were also taken through lessons by the invigilators,” she stated while urging those that are yet to write the examination to familiarise themselves with JAMB software.
Similarly, another candidate who simply identified herself as Tolu said she prepared well for the examination but struggled to cope with the JAMB software.
The 18-year-old who said she sat for the UTME at a centre located at Olorunsogo however expressed optimism she will record success when the results are finally released.
“Though this is my first attempt, I am not expecting to write any more UTME before I will be offered admission. The rigour of registering and sitting for another UTME is not what I wish to go through again,” she divulged.
Also, candidates who sat for the examination, in some centres in Lagos, Benin and Abuja commended the JAMB as the CBT was conducted without hitch in most centres.
A candidate in Lagos, Kehinde Adenuga said the organisation of the examination was convenient for applicants.
“The process of registration and allocation has been convenient, as everything is done online.
“The first batch started by 7a.m, and I will be in the next batch to write by 9 a.m. I can only pray for the best,” he said.
Chime Lucky, another candidate, expressed hope for success in the test.
“I wrote JAMB in 2017 but I didn’t do too well, I hope and pray that I am able to secure admission this year,” she said.
A parent, Obinna Ume, who brought his ward to write the test, also commended the arrangement.
“There is no rowdiness and the candidates are expected to have basic knowledge of computer to write the test.
“This is commendable and it will go a long way to encourage computer literacy among students,” he said.
Supervisor for one of the examination centres, Akinyele Ariyo, assured that the test was foolproof against manipulation.
“The examinations we are conducting are well organised and protected against malpractices.
“The questions are computer based and cannot be leaked by anybody, and the centres are monitored with security cameras connected to a central server ” he said.
Ariyo said that his centre accommodated 250 candidates for each batch, with three batches in a day.
Also, some 2018 UTME candidates in Benin on Saturday tasked JAMB to be time cautious.
One of the candidates, Endurance Abang, told newsmen that the exams was schedule for 7a.m but could not start until 8.am.
Abang said that some of the candidates travelled early to their various centres without food only to start waiting for JAMB officials.
He however, called on JAMB to make mock examinations compulsory for all the candidates that enrolled for the exam, adding that it would enable them familiarise with computers and other back-up equipment used at the exam centres.
