JAMB 2014: Group Petitions Jonathan, Mark And Others Over JAMB'S Proposed CBT.

Ahead next April's Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME),
a group has threatened to protest the decision of the Joint Admissions
and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to automate conduct of the examination.

The group, the Global Network for Education Challenges in Nigeria, has
also petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan, the Senate President,
Senator David Mark, Speaker, House of Reps, Aminu Tambuwal and Dr
Chidi Odinkalu, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria,
that it would make good its threat if the examination body does not
rescind its decision.

In a copy of the petition made available to the Nigerian Tribune late
Tuesday evening, in Warri, Delta State, the rights group had already
briefed the Chambers of Dr Muduaga Odje, SAN and Co. to approach the
courts to stop the computerised test which will jeopardise the
candidates' chances during the examinationss.

Mr. Emmanuel Omu, who led the aggrieved members of the rights group,
demanded the immediate inclusion of the manual option in the
e-registration currently going on online.

The group argued that since not all the prospective candidates were
computer literate, and they were never exposed to the course
throughout their years in secondary school, it would be unfair to
subject the candidates to a computer-based test method.
''Consequently,the insistence of JAMB on the computer-based testing
method for the 12th of April , 2014 examinations is highly prejudicial
and biased to our clients and many more candidates who are not
computer literate,'' lawyers to the group wrote.

The education rights group urged the examination body to ''as a matter
of urgency'' shift the commencement of the automated test till next
year when candidates would be mentally strong enough to use the
computer.

''Accordingly, we hereby demand on behalf of our clients, that the
paper-pencil option as reflected in the 2014 UTME e-registration
Biometric Data Capture Card be restored forthwith within one week from
the date of the receipt of this letter to enable our clients and
several other students to register and write the UTME as scheduled for
12th April, 2014,'' stated the petitioners.

The group threatened to explore '' all forms of legal redress as well
as political and civil options'' in the event that the demands of its
members were not met in the next seven days.

The then Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Rufa'i, had while
inaugurating the new initiative, said it was one of the transformative
efforts of the Federal Government towards revamping the education
sector.
She had said that the initiative would advance the nation
technologicallyand reduce or completely eliminate examination
malpractices in the UTME.

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