2023 UTME: Candidates, Parents Condemn Technical Glitches

As opposed to the experience in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates and their parents in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State have condemned the technical glitches and system malfunctioning affecting the process of the exercise.

The affected candidates expressed their grievances to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan, appealing to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to address the glitches which have stopped some candidates from taking the exercise.

Jumoke Ajayi, an aggrieved parent said: “The systems were not working, the first batch that went in for the examination at 6.30 a.m were unable to access the examination as most of them went home crying and wailing.

“Some candidates scheduled for 6.30 a.m were still inside while those scheduled for other sessions as at 9.00 a.m and 12 noon were waiting.

“The candidates experienced the same problem during the mock examination. One would have thought that things should have been taken care of at this same centre, PEFTI CBT Centre, Sango.”

Another parent, identified as Ladipo, said 80 per cent of the candidates scheduled for the early morning session were unable to take the examination, seeking to know the fate of the many candidates who were seen crying uncontrollably at the CBT centre.

Idris Raji, one of the lucky candidates to take the exam said: 

“I was one of the few lucky candidates who were able to access the examination, even at that, the system keeps prompting us to reconnect.

“This is a limiting factor as time was already going and this issue would not be considered by JAMB as it is not aware of what we were faced with here.

“We are really suffering as candidates.”

In response to the complaints, Ayobami Adeoyo, PEFTI CBT official, said the situation had been brought under control.

“We had issues at the first session, but we are able to overcome them by God’s grace and those affected would be rescheduled.

“We have put down their names and this will not affect other sessions,” Adeoyo said.

Similarly, parents expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the examination at Yinbol College, Orogun in Ibadan.

An official who pleaded anonymity, however, said aside from the generating set which broke down due to a belt that snapped, the exercise has been going on smoothly.

“We have already accredited the second batch who are seated for the commencement of the examination, while we are also accrediting candidates for the third batch.

“We have 250 candidates sitting for the exam per batch and we are having three sessions a day and that is how it will be for the four days the examination will be held,” the official said.

Earlier, the JAMB Zonal Director, Ibadan, Olajumoke Adeleke said, “We have peaceful exercise, everything is calm, we thank God.”

Adeleke said there were 39 centres in Oyo State including the University of Ibadan Distance Learning Centre and technical issues had been sufficiently taken care of.