JUST IN : 2018 UTME candidates to register under CCTV cameras for proper registration

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that all candidates for the 2018 Unified Tertiary Examination (UTME) must register under the lenses of the CCTV Camera.

It also said the footage of registration processes of each candidate must be uploaded to the Board Headquarters.

This was part of fresh standardization rules, guidelines and registration processes issued to licensed operators of Computer Based Test (CBT) centres on Thursday.

According to the new rule contained in a statement by the Board’s registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, the fresh rules were necessary to eliminate fraudulent practices in the system ahead of the 2018 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, examination.

CBT operators are now also required to ensure that as soon as candidates complete their registration, they should upload the handwritten forms of the candidates. This it said will make easy for whatever errors to be easily identified and traced.

Oloyede disclosed that there were errors in the registration exercise in the UTME 2017.

“This has led to many candidates requesting for one form of correction of data or the other,” he said.

In its effort to eliminate all forms of errors and also hold people responsible for negligence and mischief, the registrar said, “All candidates must register under the lenses of the CCTV Camera and the footage of which should be uploaded to the Board Headquarters. We have discussed with the telecommunication service providers the details of the required bandwidth and data for the operation.

“These measures are aimed at curtailing the need and demand for corrections. Thus, any centre that makes a mistake during the registration, as will be proven by the uploaded forms and CCTV footage, will be liable for such errors as they will not be paid for the total number of candidates they have committed such errors. This measure has become necessary as it has come to the notice of the Board that some centres make deliberate mistakes in order to extort candidates.

“The process of scanning and uploading completed forms by candidates has to be done meticulously. The details of this process would also be explained later.

“In addition, scanning of passport photograph would not be accepted anymore. Rather real time capturing of candidates’ photo at the centre would now be the rule”, Oloyede said.

This is against previous practice where CBT centres operated under different capacities, with tendency for manual registration and distribution of candidates, prejudice and sharp practices by operators.

The board had announced the blacklisting of 72 of the 600 (CBT) centres used for the 2017 UTME across the country due to their alleged involvement in extortion and “organised examination malpractice” during the UTME.