Richard Ginika Izuora
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has denied reports of mass failure in the ongoing 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, across the country.
Head, Public Affairs and Protocol of JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a statement on Tuesday said that the report of mass failure was fake and a campaign by those whose source of illicit income had been blocked.
According to him, the 2021 performance was not significantly different from those of previous years.
“The board ordinarily would not have reacted to the half-truth being peddled by some disgruntled candidates; many of who were ill-prepared for the examination.
“And who, true to all expectations, performed below the expectations of their guardians; that the Board had based its questions on the wrong syllabus. It is our belief that based on facts on the ground; every right-thinking Nigerian would question the 6,944,368 figure on which the 14 per cent “pass” is based.
“For instance, in the 2021 UTME, 1, 415,501 registered for both UTME/DE. Out of this figure, 1,340,003 candidates registered for UTME and 75, 498 registered for DE,” he said.
He explained that all UTME questions were based on texts prescribed for the UTME in its syllabus and to ensure that its syllabus is accessible to all candidates sitting its examinations; the board made the material available on three platforms.
“The syllabus was issued to candidates through the board’s Integrated Brochure and Syllabus System (IBASS); the CD which is given to candidates after completion of registration.
“The link https://www.ibass.jamb.gov.ng. as provided with the candidates’ profile code.
“It is not automatic that the NECO/WAEC syllabus should transform into JAMB’s; otherwise, there would not have been a need for a separate syllabus for the UTME,” he said.
He further explained that the UTME was not a school-based neither achievement test. In addition, he noted that it was a selection or ranking test which ordinarily does not require a syllabus; adding that it does not have room for fail or pass as an achievement test.
According to him, the total number of candidates who took the UTME was 1,300,722 with 78 389 candidates absent.