JAMB Denies Scrapping Computer-Based Test

The board in a statement by its spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, on Thursday described the reports as “misleading” adding that the clarifications became necessary following allegations it had dumped CBT for eight keys.

Benjamin noted that the board would continue with all its examinations including the Computer-Based Test.

He said, “The headline was not only misleading but capable of causing panic, distortion and confusion in the minds of Nigerians particularly the candidates planning to take the UTME of a well-conceived CBT examination which the Board was consolidating on the gains and feat recorded.

“This report was mischievous because more than 10 other journalists were there at the retreat where the eight keys intended to make the navigation of the examination easy and friendly for first time user of a computer or any electronic device was restated.”

He said the misleading captions of the activities of JAMB by journalists who were present at the function was a clear demonstration of a coordinated attempt to bring down the board.

Benjamin said, “In our attempt to make CBT friendly, JAMB introduced the use of 8 keys without a mouse. This, we have explained to Nigerians, and all stakeholders at the just-concluded strategic planning Retreat on “Supervision and Evaluation of the conduct of the 2017 UTME” in Kaduna, where we had the privilege of having over a 100 distinguished scholars from the academia, civil society and other critical stakeholders.

“At the meeting, the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, restated the determination of JAMB to continue to innovate on policies that will ease the phobia for CBT, one of which is the introduction of the use of 8 keys without a mouse and nowhere was the issue of dumping CBT contemplated.

“We see this embarrassing caption as deliberate effort to thwart the Board’s noble intention. The question we are asking is: on what platform will the 8 keys be?

“In view of this, we call on all Nigerians to disregard this misleading report and to appeal to the Newspapers to desist from this inglorious attitude of allowing its beautiful medium to be used for the subversion of developmental strides of JAMB.”