1.9 million candidates begin sitting for UTME today

No fewer than 1,900,000 candidates will sit for the 2020 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination on Saturday (today) across over 600 Computer-Based Test centres nationwide.

This is just as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board said it had made arrangements to ensure that its workers taking part in the examination use hand gloves and hand sanitizers, which would also be available for candidates.

The board added that it had delisted a total of 63 CBT centres for various offences ranging from extortion of candidates, loss of vital access instruments to technical deficiencies.

The UTME will last till Saturday, April 4, with about 1.9 million registered candidates, being the highest so far in the 41-year history of the board.

Our correspondent learnt on Friday that JAMB had deployed operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Department of State Services to CBT centres and would also monitor activities within each hall through the Closed-Circuit Television.

According to the board’s weekly bulletin, 63 centres would not be participating in the 2020 UTME due to various infractions, with 16 of them suspended only after the February 18 mock examination.

A breakdown of the 16 latest suspended CBT centres showed five were from Kano State, two from Gombe State, two from Bauchi State, and one from Cross River, Delta, Imo, Kwara, Lagos, and Zamfara states, as well as Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.

The board said, “Determined to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, the board has taken precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic. The Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, at an emergency meeting with the directors underscored the need to be proactive in tackling the menace.

“Members of staff are advised to get face masks and hand sanitizers. He hinted that arrangements had been made to provide staff taking part in the 2020 UTME with hand gloves and hand sanitizers for use in their centres. The registrar also advised them to shun acts that would expose them to health hazards.”