Parents Want Health Personnel At UTME Centres

LAGOS

Parents have appealed to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to consider introducing health personnel during their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The parents spoke in the context of some incidents recorded during the first session of the UTME 2022 in some centers on Friday in Lagos.

The Nigerian News Agency reports that more than 1.7 million candidates have registered for this year’s exam scheduled to take place at some 750 centers across the country.

They also asked JAMB to reconsider the change in the exam schedule due to rain.

Ms Jenny Anagor, who was at the center with her daughter, scheduled for the 7 am session, alleged that one candidate, a sick one, almost fainted if it weren’t for the intervention of some parents.

Anagor said the candidate apparently ran downtown, realizing she was late due to the morning rain.

He stressed that as long as it was an exam, the authorities should also look at ways to do it with a human face, addiing that just they have security officers and others attached to the centers,  JAMB should also consider hiring the services of health personnel.

“Even if it is only one nurse with first aid per center. This will go a long way in solving any emergency situation. We must not forget the fact that some of these candidates could also have been sick even before the exam date, or they could even come directly from the hospital to participate in the exam. Imagine what could have happened to that candidate if some good-hearted people were not present. I had to do everything I could to make sure he got back on his feet because I’m familiar with that experience,” he said.

Another parent, Mr. Peter Inochie, urged the testing body to consider changing the test schedule due to insecurity across the country.

Inochie also said that JAMB needed to consider moving the exam to the dry season to make it easier for candidates to get to their respective centers.

According to him, “some cases of ill health could worsen during the rainy season.Usually taking the exam during the rains is more challenging for people in cities, even when it is not about exams.”

Inochie called for the first exam session to be changed from 7 am to 9 am to give candidates enough time to reach their designated centers considering the state of insecurity in the country.

Meanwhile, JAMB Lagos coordinator Mr. Shittu Billiaminusaid that 68 centers were being used for the exam in the state.

Billiaminu described conducting the exam at the various centers on the first day as a great success.

However, the coordinator pointed out that one of the centers had network problems but these had already been resolved.

“I must say that it has been a very successful start on this first day of the exam. We only recorded technical issues at one of the hubs, but this has since been addressed.

“I am very convinced that the situation will improve even more tomorrow,” he said.”