JAMB Forces to Reschedule CBT Due to Power Outage:
Power outage at one of the examination centres in Lagos, has forced JAMB to reschedule the third session of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination Computer-Based Test (CBT) to May 31.
The examination, which was previously scheduled for May 26 at the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) in Lagos, had to be shifted because of the outage, Mr Noble Onukwue, JAMB’s Deputy Director, Outstation, told NAN on Wednesday in Lagos.
Onukwe said the test would now be held at 11.00 a.m., explaining that the outrage caused delay in concluding the second session of the examination, which made it impossible to start the third session.
“It was not safe to keep children late because of the examination because of the security situation in the country.
“Some of these children are from very far distances and keeping them will amount to rushing the examination so as to get home on time.
“So the best decision was to reschedule which is one of the flexibilities of the CBT.”
Onukwue said that one of the the criteria the board requested from examination centres was provision of adequate power supply without relying on public sources of electricity.
NAN reports that the second session of the CBT at the DBI, which started by 11.00 a.m. was supposed to last three hours and to end by 2.00 p.m.
However, it ended by 6.00 p.m., due to the power problem and as a result; there was no time for the third session.
A Facility Manager at the institute, Mr Afam Aboh, told NAN that the 250 KVA generating set at the institute had broken down.
He said, however, that another generator had since been provided to serve the institute.
Some candidates, who spoke to NAN on the development, said they held no grudges against JAMB for rescheduling the examination.
“It was wise for the board to reschedule because allowing the candidate to write the exam will amount to getting home late,’’ said a woman, who gave her name simply as Mrs Oludare.
One of the candidates, Olamide Olabisi, said she preferred the CBT system, appealing to JAMB to make adequate arrangements for a good generating set to prevent a re-occurrence.
Another candidate, Betty Eduwoh, who was in the second phase of the CBT, described the power outage as quite disappointing. (NAN)