JAMB Directs Arrest of Parents Near CBT Centres During 2024 UTME

In a significant move to curb examination malpractices and maintain the integrity of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed all Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre owners to ensure the arrest of any parent found near their facilities during the 2024 UTME exercise.

The directive was issued by JAMB’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, during the final briefing of CBT centre owners on Wednesday.

According to JAMB’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, the measure was deemed necessary due to the intrusive behavior of some parents during previous JAMB exercises.

The Board emphasized that any parent who disobeys this order will not only be arrested but their ward will also be disqualified from sitting for the examination.

Prof. Oloyede explained that the presence of meddlesome parents near examination centres has been a facilitator of examination infractions, and they have also disrupted the Board’s examinations in the past.

The Board has instructed security operatives to work with the centres to apprehend any such parents, noting that, according to the national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.

JAMB urged CBT centre owners to view the assignment as a national engagement and not just a profit venture, and encouraged them to expose any bad actors among them.

The directive comes in response to the Board’s observation that some parents have “smuggled” underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit for the examination.

With this new directive, JAMB aims to ensure a fair and transparent UTME process, maintaining the integrity of the examination and fostering an environment conducive to academic excellence.