Reps Suspend Jamb’s E-Test.

The House of Representatives
yesterday summoned Minister of Education
Professor Rukayyatu Rufai over the planned
conduct of computer based test for the 2013
unified tertiary matriculation examination by the Joint Admission
Matriculation and
Examination
Board (JAMB). Adopting a motion on matters of
urgent public importance sponsored by Rep. Ali Madaki (PDP, Kano), the
House directed the education ministry and JAMB to suspend the
computer based
test planned for
April this year and
revert back to the
use of old existing
centres and the new secondary schools
constructed by
various arms of
government and
allow for more time to equip these schools
with necessary
infrastructure conduct computer test.
The House also
summoned Rukayyatu and the JAMB Registrar to appear before the
House committee
on education to
among other things explain the "reason behind the policy
somersault that led to change in takes off of the policy from 2015
to 2013; the law
that empowers JAMB to contract out the conduct
of examination to
private firms? And
who are these
firms." In his
motion, Rep. Madaki said that JAMB had fixed
the year 2015 as
the terminal year
to end its paper and pencil based examination as stated by the
minister Professor
Rukayyatu Rufa'i
in November 2012 but "JAMB has now
somersaulted and
resolves to start
computer based
test on 27th April 2013."
He argued that "the vexed question is how
many secondary
schools are equipped with computers.
Alarmed there is no clear cut modus operandi
for the computer
based test method because JAMB itself lacks
the competence and facilities to conduct the
examinations, hence JAMB has contracted
private firm to conduct the computer based test (CBT)?
According to him, "the ripples effect has led massive reduction of
examination centres despite increased in
schools, closure of
several registration
centres in states
like Bauchi, Bayelsa, Kano, Benue, Cross
Rivers, FCT, Kaduna, Katsina thereby leading
to the disfranchisement
of many candidates that
would have taken the exams."

source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201302060874.html