By Gabriel Dike, Tony John, Port Harcourt, Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Board (UTME) kicked off yesterday on a shaky note with network glitches marring  the process across various centres in the country.

No fewer than  1.5 million candidates are expected to participate in the exercise nationwide between April 25 and  May 3 in 740 centres for the all Computer Based Test (CBT).

As the exercise kicked off, yesterday, scores of  candidates and their parents, decried the system malfunction and technical glitches that characterised the  examinations saying it depicted unpreparedness on the part of JAMB.

At BAFUTO Center, Ilewe-Ikotun, Lagos, candidates for the 7am examination could not start until  8.05am, while those for 9am started at 10.55am and finished at 1.25pm.

At Classic International Schools, Ejigbo, Lagos, candidates for the 9.00am examination finished by 1.35pm, while those slated for 12noon  waited for about an hour before being administered the exams.

Affected  candidates bemoaned having to wait in their halls for more than one hour before writing their examinations due to challenges with internet connectivity.

In Ibadan, where glitches also marred the examinations, parents called  on JAMB to find solutions to the problems faced by candidates who were unable to write the examination due to the glitches.

A parent, Mrs. Jumoke Ajayi, said: “The systems were not working, the first batch that went in for the examination at 6.30 a.m were unable to access the examination as most of them went home crying and wailing. Some candidates scheduled for 6.30 a.m were still inside while those scheduled for other sessions as at 9.00 a.m and 12 noon were waiting. The candidates experienced the same problem during the mock examination. One would have thought that things should have been taken care of at this same centre, PEFTI CBT Centre, Sango.”

Another parent, who identified himself as Mr. Ladipo, said 80 per cent of the candidates scheduled for the early morning session were unable to write the examination.

Ladipo wondered what their fate would be as many of them were seen crying uncontrollable at the CBT centre.

One of the candidates, Idris Raji, said computer systems including laptops were not working properly at his centre. He said most were unable to write the examination candidates due to the glitches.

Most parents complained  of their wards being psychologically unsettled by the poor network issues  they met at the centres and the dire impact on their performance. They also knocked JAMB for not resolving the issues which first reared its head during the mock-UTME on March 30.

In Lagos, efforts by Daily Sun to speak with proprietors of schools and CBT centres were unsuccessful as security personnel refused to allow our correspondent access into their premises.

The story was not different in Rivers State where candidates for the 6:30am examination,  screened and cleared, could not operate their computers as a result of nonfunctional network system.

Some of the candidates for the 6:30 papers, who spoke to Daily Sun, said after spending over three hours in the examination hall, supervisors told them to leave for those scheduled for the 9:30am examination. 

They said their supervisors attributed the challenge to network problems and assured that  JAMB might reschedule the examination for affected candidates.

A JAMB official, who addressed stranded students and parents, at State School II Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area, explained that the problem was national. The official urged affected candidates and parents to be patient and wait for the final decision from the agency.

Some of the parents who came into Elele town on Monday for the examination berated JAMB for poor planning and inefficiency in administering  the examinations.

One of the parents, Daniel Chikere, said faulty preparations and unimplementable policies have remained the bane to external examinations in Nigeria.

“I can’t believe that I would come to this place (Elele) all the way from Port Harcourt for an examination like JAMB, and the system will not work. It’s unbelievable and unimaginable,” he said.

Another parent, Mrs. Dorathy Linus, expressed dissatisfaction with JAMB, saying that the examination body was taking  Nigerians for granted.

A candidate, Queen Itodo, who came from Ogbadigbo, in Benue State, said she had expected to go back home on Wednesday but was no longer sure following her inability to sit for her examination as scheduled.

“When I registered, they said the centres in Benue were filled, I was asked to choose from the few remaining so I asked for the closest which is Abuja. I spent N5, 000 for transport coming to Abuja alone excluding all other expenses. I am supposed to write for 12pm. I am just tired and weak, praying for strength to write and get this behind me.”

At CBT Centre at Adeola International School, Kubwa, Abuja, parents complained about technical glitches that frustrated the efforts of their children to have a good outing at the UTME.

Some candidates who were at CBT centre Kubwa as early as 5:30am were yet to write their examination as at 2pm when a team of journalist visited the centre.

The JAMB supervisor at the centre who declined mentioning her name explained that the glitches experienced earlier in the morning was from the JAMB server and not from the school, adding that the issue had been resolved and examination was going on with minimal glitches

She, however, confirmed that 79 candidates were unable to sit for the first session as a result of the technical challenges that was experienced earlier in the day, stating that the affected students were rescheduled for the fourth session of the day

JAMB spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, told journalists that  JAMB had put in all measures to ensure smooth conduct of the examination.

Fabian in a statement earlier in the week had advised candidates who registered for the exercise to print their 2023 UTME notification slips which contain information on location of candidate’s examination centre, date of scheduled sessions, time of the examination and other necessary information.