JAMB Registrar, has opened up on the new 2018 registration
system, why JAMB introduced that innovation as a way of furthering the
advancement of the Board.
Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board
(JAMB) Registrar, in this piece gave hints on how far JAMB has gone on
knotty issues of admission into Nigerian higher institutions, the
challenges and the way forward.
He also explained the new 2018 registration system, why JAMB
introduced that innovation as a way of furthering the advancement of the
Board, cutting cost, making operations easier and beating the fraud
ring.
ROUGH, RIGHT ROAD
At the level of JAMB, it has been very rough, very challenging but it has also been very rewarding.
When we started in 2015 we did not realize that we were going into a
serious war. Initially we thought it is a call to duty, but when got
there we realised it was not going to be easy because of entrenched
interests. The capacity and network of such interests if care is not
taken will derail plans and intentions to take the JAMB higher.
But with the support of all of you we have been able to sail
through, principally because we were conscious of the fact that, we have
a specific term in that office. We will not allow the first year to go
and then the second year to plan and at the end of the day the third
year. We felt that we should start what we believe we should do. That
was why we had to change the process and procedure through which we
conduct our examinations; through which we are registering.
We needed to do that because we believed that was the right thing
to do. By our previous engagements, we are conscious of the fact that,
bodies outside Nigeria conduct examinations of this type, and it had not
been that expensive and as tortuous as it appears to be in Nigeria. So
we were committed to changing the process by internalizing the process
rather than outsourcing almost everything we do. We also believe that
the technology we used was outdated.
Coming from me people would say no ‘how will you say that. You are
the champion of the technology,’ because I started the CBT as Vice
Chancellor of the University of Ilorin. We were the first university to
start to use the CBT to examine and conduct our screening. We were
immediately followed by the University of Lagos.
That was why we had to speak with the telecommunications company
for us to start the new technology. It was rough initially not because
it would not work, but because many people thought that it should not
work. Many people were even afraid that it would not work, but we were
committed to it as that was the right way to go and we were able to do
it. We have conducted the first exams with the new technology in 2017
and now we have started selling the registration forms for 2018 UTME.
SKEPTICISM ABOUT CHANGE
At that time many people asked why only one month for JAMB
registration – some genuinely and some mischievously. The genuine ones
worried that to register two million candidates, the time was too short.
But I believed that was the right way to go. For example prior to
2016 we used to sell JAMB forms for between five and six months in
theory, but in practice we sell 90 percent of the form in 30 days over
the past five years. Because many people did not have the fact of the
new method, even the National Assembly, they say we should extend it to
two months. We said no problem. We continued what we were doing but we
opened the registration for another two weeks after the closing. Before
the closing we had 1.7 million candidates that had registered. For the
two weeks after closing we had over 1000 additional.
By January we should be registering about 30,000 every day. That
means the last one month is for registration. So those criticizing do
not have the facts. But within the last 30 days a lot of people will be
saying we should extend. It is the tradition that the last one week to
the expiration of the deadline that people will be rushing.
Again, we discovered that last year, most of the cyber cafes were
extorting candidates because of opening of email addresses. But that is
not the major issue, the major issue is that they were opening the email
addresses and retaining the passwords. That is why the cyber cafe
operators are hauling curses on Oloyede now. They are not making the
required money. Within the last one year students across the country had
paid over N300 million to JAMB for correction of names for wrong
spelling at the CBT centres.
We look at it that why would a large number of the candidates have
mistakes in the spelling of their names. Another aspect to the story is
that some made the mistake deliberately. Some register with different
names. That is why most of the time about 400,000 names are duplicated.
Though, they pay us, but it does not pay the nation. They pay N5000 for
every registration but it is not in the interest of the nation because
the nation will not be able to have accurate statistics about the number
of candidates.
We will be going with the false impression that we have 1.7 million
registered candidates and out of that 300,000 might get admission. And
we will be planning for non-existing candidates. That is one side of the
story and we felt that despite the fact that they pay, this is not good
money. We blocked that process.
The difference in 2018
What have we done this year? Write your name yourself on your
phone. You cannot say in the process of writing your name you made a
mistake. But once you register that name and get your pin immediately a
code is sent to your cellphone. Once you get that number take to where
you will buy your form. The pin is already tied to your name.
TAMING CYBER FRAUDSTERS
That will give us accurate record.
Last year candidates registered with their ten fingers. I was
boasting all about that nobody can register twice, not knowing how
dubious some Nigerians could be. In our findings, we discovered that
Nigerians beat us to it. They did what they called combination. They
would go to cyber cafe operators, pay N20,000 per person for the fraud.
We couldn’t. The greatest problem came from the parents particularly,
mothers who were paying any amount ranging from N50,000 to N200,000 to
fraudsters.
We have a case of two of our staff who signed an agreement with a fraudster.
That is the environment we have found ourselves. You can see that
we are making effort to see that as people are coming from one angle, we
are devising ways of blocking them. Many people thought it is business
as usual. They would go to the minister, the villa etc, but anywhere
they go, they found out that government has changed. With the government
that is there now you are on your own. They couldn’t find support from
the ministry, from the presidency to upturn what we were doing and that
gave us the strength.
We have right backing
Since those entrusted with the responsibility back us by doing what
is right, we believe that the onus is on us to make sure that we
continue to do what is right.
NEW INNOVATIONS
This year, we have introduced so many other restrictions to ensure
that whatever people do in their cafes we could monitor from Abuja apart
from the CCT camera. We have devised a system that once you switch on
your system we could monitor what is going on with or without the CCT
camera.
During the year we expended a lot of money on expanding our
facilities. Facilities belonging to JAMB directly across the country
were less than 2000 in 2016, but within 2017 we have expanded them close
to 15,000. All our CBT centres had between 90 and 150 seaters, but we
have turned them to 270 seaters.
We also established new ones in addition to ones built for us by
the National Communications Commission (NCC). While doing this, we have
also created a better way of doing things. Last year our staff would
have to be looking for how to download the questions. This year, we want
to do the push system. The onus is not on our staff to download, the
onus is on us to push the system. We realised that some other people are
taking advantage of that. That means our staff simply go with the
server and await instructions.
BLOCKING LEAKAGES, MAKING MORE MONEY
We have also been able to reduce the cost and block leakages.
During the year we made close to N12 billion income. Of course, we have
to spend money to generate money. We paid over one billion Naira to CBT
owners. We paid our examiners and so on. At the end of the day we had
our surplus of N7.8 billion which we returned to government coffers. We
retained a little to conduct this year’s examination.
We also believe that JAMB is not a money generating centre. Our
intention is not to generate money, but we are also not a money wasting
centre. We have not increased any service charge rather we are reducing
cost. Everything is done online.
Candidates would not need to go to Bwari. Those days in the process
of traversing between their stations and Bwari many ladies were
violated.
Online admission system
We have gone a bit further now by looking inwards. That is why we
created the Central Admission Processing System (CAPS). That means no
tertiary institution is expected to come to Abuja for admission. It is
now done online.
When we started the admission last year, many universities shouted
in protest that it would not work, because people will always be afraid
of new things. We told them that any one that has problem should come to
Abuja.
Then we concluded that there were some social issues related with
admission. Many of our admission officers go for admission and they are
paid night allowances. If you now say do it online, they would no longer
be paid those allowances and that would not make things work.
Even staff at my own end too, when they travel they are paid night allowances, but with this system they don’t need to travel.
The second problem with CAPS is that the admission is not done in the universities more than before.
Source: Daily Sun
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