PHOTO: Candidates sit outside at Oduduwa Polytechnic Egbeda, Lagos few minutes before 4pm exam time, with no official or announcement. Credit: Daily Review Online
By Ihechi Enyinnaya
A sudden rescheduling of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination has sparked outrage among candidates and parents nationwide, as many were left stranded or missed the exam entirely due to the last-minute changes.
JAMB, which oversees the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), reportedly made unannounced adjustments to exam times and venues in various centers across the country. The abrupt changes left many candidates unaware, arriving at centers either too late or at the wrong locations.
“I got to my center only to be told my exam had been rescheduled to a different time without prior notice,” said Grace Okonkwo, a candidate from Lagos. “I checked my portal the night before, and there was no update. This is unfair.”
Similar accounts poured in from cities like Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Enugu, with reports of poor communication from JAMB officials. In some centers, candidates said they received text messages or emails only hours before their scheduled exam, while others claimed they received no notice at all.
Parents expressed concern over the psychological toll on their children, who had spent months preparing for the UTME, only to be thrown into confusion on exam day.
“This is a national embarrassment,” said Mr. Bamidele Akinyemi, a parent in Ibadan. “If JAMB cannot organize a simple exam without causing distress to innocent children, what hope do we have?”
While JAMB is yet to release an official statement explaining the reason for the abrupt changes, sources suggest technical issues and overbooking at certain centers may have prompted the reshuffle.
Education stakeholders have called for a thorough investigation into the incident and demanded that affected candidates be given another opportunity to sit for the exam.
As of press time, it remains unclear how many candidates were affected nationwide. However, calls for greater transparency and better planning in future JAMB examinations are growing louder.