The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU,has expressed sympathy with the candidates affected by the recent errors committed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, stressing that the glitches have caused significant emotional trauma to the students, their guardians and parents.
In a statment signed by COEASU President, Smart Olugbeko, the teachers acknowledged that JAMB has made significant strides in recent years, leveraging technology to enhance the examination process, the recent errors highlight the limitations of technology and the need for diligence and care in its deployment.
While COEASU commends the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, for his sincerity and empathy in acknowledging the errors and taking responsibility, it gives knocks to some public officials who have been known to deny responsibility for their actions, even when faced with overwhelming evidence of corruption, giving a notable example of the deployment of the integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, which it said was widely criticized for its inefficiencies.
COEASU adds that the IPPIS debacle highlights the importance of accountability and transparency in public service, stressing that Unlike Professor Oloyede, the proponents of IPPIS have refused to apologize for the harm caused to tertiary institutions or adopt the University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS developed by Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, which has proven to be a more reliable and efficient platform.
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In the same vein, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, on Thursday, rejected the decision by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, to schedule a fresh examination for candidates affected by what it termed “errors” in the recently UTME results
In a statement, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, described the decision as “totally unacceptable”, and also demanded that 300 scores be awarded to all affected candidates from the South-East.
Okwu said it was a disservice for JAMB to subject the candidates to “another round of mental torture, stress, and risk” for no fault of theirs.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had on Wednesday admitted that technical glitches led to unusually low scores for candidates in the five South-East states and Lagos State, and announced that the Board had commenced arrangements to reschedule the exam for the affected candidates.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
