News

2015 UTME: Server Problem Persists

Published

10 years ago

March 11, 2015

The confusion which trailed Tuesday’s shoddy commencement of the 2015 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, got worse, yesterday, following the delay which lasted over 16 hours, in some of Computer-Based Test, CBT, centres over Internet servers failure and faulty computer sets.
At one of the CBT centres, Certified Institute of Shipping, CIS, in Magbon, Badagry area of Lagos State, candidates were said to have commenced their exams as late as 10p.m., on Tuesday and ended by 4a.m., on Wednesday, owing to Internet failure, leaving parents and guardians, who accompanied their wards to the centre stranded and frustrated.
The Day two of the UTME test nationwide across the 400 CBT centres was greeted with mixed feelings across centres visited by Vanguard.
While some candidates expressed satisfaction over the hitch-free conduct of the examination in their centres, others, however, lamented the shoddy preparations at their centres over lack or fluctuation of Internet server.
At CIS, Magbon, Badagry, Vanguard gathered that the centre recorded a spill-over of the third batch of candidates who where billed to write their exams by 3p.m., on Tuesday, but could not due to failure of the Internet server, clashing with those billed to write their by 6a.m., yesterday.
A guardian, Mrs. Shukurat Akingbade, whose younger sister was among the candidates that sat for the exam at the CBT centre, decried that they passed the night without food at the centre, even after waiting for over 16 hours before the exams began by 10p.m., on Tuesday.
Similarly, at the University of Nigeria, UNN, Nsukka, Enugu State, Vanguard learned that the exams billed for 6a.m., was delayed for several hours over faulty computer sets. Some candidates were said to have complained that JAMB officials did not give them calculators at the centre owing to insufficient stock.
According to one candidate, who pleaded not to be mentioned, “despite the delay, the exams later went on smoothly. But the issue I had was being given government in my question, even though I did not register for it.”
Also, when Vanguard visited Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, yesterday morning, the conduct of the exam was hitch-free, as JAMB officials were seen screening candidates into the hall by 7a.m., while as the exams commenced by 7.30a.m.
Similarly, it was a hitch-free examination at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka, as the three batches of candidates that wrote the exams, yesterda,y did not encounter problems with the Internet server.
Meanwhile, at press time, one of the candidates, who registered in Lagos, but was posted to Kwara State lamented that he was on his way to the state for the exams which he will be writing today.
According to him: “As I speak with you, I am on my way to Kwara State ahead of my exams tomorrow (Thursday). I am not happy about this unnecessary stress and expenditure that we are meant to face for no fault of ours. I place my hope in God, because I don’t even know anybody in Kwara State. After budgeting for my transportation to and fro, how do I pay for an accommodation with my lean pocket,” he said.