No admission for 1.2m UTME candidates —FG

THE Federal Government has said that only 520, 000 candidates out of the 1.7 million that registered for the 2013 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will be offered admission into tertiary institutions in the country. 
Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, who made this known while addressing newsmen at the Federal Government Academy, Suleja, after monitoring the conduct of the UTME, on Saturday, said only 520,000 spaces are available in all the federal, state and private tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
According to her, the bulk of the 1.2 million candidates would have no placement because of the low carrying capacity of the institutions available, adding that she was pained that most of them who sat with all seriousness for the examination might not have access in the long run.
 “Out of the 1.7 million candidates, the space that we have in the entire nation is 520, 000. What are we going to do with the remaining 1.2 million? Assuming that only 1 million passed the exam, about 50 per cent of them will have admission and what are we going to do with the remaining number when only over 500, 000 have the provision in terms of our readiness of the carrying capacity?
“We will not expand our carrying capacity simply to accommodate these students without the commensurate expansion of our facilities. So our facilities as of today are basically for 520, 000 students. That is why we are calling for this improvement in access.
“We are calling for PPP (Public Private Partnership), individuals, corporate bodies and organisations that can come out and have private institutions—universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
“What are we going to do with the large number of students out there? We have seen them sit for that examination with all seriousness but I feel the pain that most of them cannot have access in the long run,” the minister said.
Exam impersonator nabbed in Abuja
Meanwhile, a fake candidate for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was arrested in Abuja. The suspect, who simply gave his name as Isaac, was found to have impersonated a candidate in Enugu.
Trouble started when it was discovered that his e-slip indicated an examination centre in Enugu.
He was, therefore, subjected to biometric verification at the Chams City examination Centre in Abuja where he appeared to sit for the Dual Based Test.
However, the Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Professor ‘Dibu Ojerinde, told journalists that the fake candidate came to impersonate another candidate from Enugu State. He said the suspect would be handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who would in turn hand him over to the police for prosecution. 
 “We went to the internet and discovered that the owner of that paper is from Enugu. He came to impersonate. Unfortunately, we were able to catch him. I took him to biometric and told him to thumbprint and the biometric told us that there was no record of his registration.
“I tried it myself and there was no record of my registration. Therefore, he will be handed over to the Civil Defence who will in turn hand him over to the law enforcement agents.
“He registered for Centre 021 and he came to Centre 022 and 023. Chams City is Centre 021 and 023. He was handed over an answer sheet of 022 01. In fact, the registration number on the answer sheet is different from the one on the slip. His slip ended with E, the real answer sheet ended with FH.  Later on, when I was taking him out, he said his father did it for him,” Ojerinde said.
However, some parents who spoke with Sunday Tribune described this year’s biometric fingerprint as an improved version.
At Chams City, an ICT Centre in Abuja, 360 candidates sat for the Dual Based Test. However, some candidates who chose Computer Based Test but out of inadequate information reported at Chams City for the examination yesterday, were sent back to re-print their e-slip in order to have their accurate date of the CBT  fixed by JAMB from 18th May to June 1st.
Chams City is one of the designated centres in Abuja for the CBT.
Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, who monitored the exercise in Abuja, described the transition to e-testing as an advancement of education in Nigeria.
The Minister was also at the Federal Government Academy Suleja, Niger State, where the traditional Paper Pencil Test took place.
At Bishop James Yisa Memorial School, Suleja, a total of 530 candidates who sat the examination were screened biometrically.
The Biometric operator, Mr. Lukeman Adegoke, said the centre had no problem with the biometric verification as the exercise was hitch-free. He, however, disclosed that 10 candidates did not show up for the examination.
FG denies plans to scrap UTME, NECO
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has also denied plans to scrap the UTME and National Examination Council.
The Minister of Education stated this while responding to a question on if the 2013 UTME would be the last one to be conducted by JAMB.
 “On this UTME and NECO, this has become a controversial issue. That Federal Government has a White Paper on this.  Mr. President has not taken any decision on it and I told you clearly when I addressed the press at the Villa that I’m not aware that NECO and UTME will be scrapped. The government has not really taken decision on that,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Police Command, at the time of filing this report, stated that no irregularity was reported during the conduct of the examination in Oyo State.