ABUJA, Nigeria — The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has revealed its plans to introduce a “Bring Your Own Device”, BYOD, initiative for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, UTME, and Direct Entry Examinations.
The Registrar of JAMB, Ishaq Oloyede, disclosed this development during the 2023 policy meeting held at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja on Saturday, June 24, 2023.
According to Prof. Oloyede, the BYOD initiative would allow candidates to take examinations using their mobile phones.
He noted that the move is aimed at reducing the substantial costs incurred by the board in conducting the examinations.
In the presentation, Oloyede stated, “On the way forward, we are looking at BYOD – the direction for JAMB Students to bring their telephones. It lowers capital investment but is not helpful for digital literacy. There will be the establishment of a mobile examination malpractice tribunal to deal with the criminal aspect while institutions handle the misconduct.”
The JAMB registrar also outlined other measures the board is considering, including the establishment of a mobile examination malpractice tribunal, which will be tasked with addressing criminal aspects, while educational institutions will handle misconduct cases.
Furthermore, Oloyede highlighted that JAMB will collaborate with security agencies and relevant bodies to combat cybercrimes and will engage machinery and sponsorship to gain insights from candidates’ knowledge.
He also touched on the introduction of an Open Book Examination approach to discourage cheating, the movement of some services to the registration portal to prevent extortion, and the importance of political will and concerted efforts in adopting a single identity for all citizens through the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC, to prevent impersonation during examinations.
This BYOD initiative is seen as a step towards modernizing the examination process, but it remains to be seen how JAMB will address potential challenges such as examination malpractice and ensuring a level playing field for all candidates.
