THIS year�s Universities Matriculation Examination (UME) held throughout the country yesterday was marred by malpractices with Police arresting many candidates using mobile phones to cheat. A candidate was also apprehended when she was being assisted by her mother from home.
The use of cell phones to cheat in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)-conducted examinations is a novel development but the new antic of these alleged fraudsters was revealed when examination monitoring groups, led by the Board�s newly appointed registrar, Professor Dibu Ojerinde and the chairman, Governing Council of the examination body, (Chief) Amaugo Ugoji, visited various examination centres in Lagos during the examination.
At Police Children School, Obalende, Miss Adura Ibiyemi was allegedly caught with a handset containing a text message of answer options to English Language Part I questions. The message ended with �From your caring mum�.
Another candidate, Lawal Olawale Kazeem, was nabbed at Aunty Ayo Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Obalende as his mobile phone allegedly contained message of answers to the examination questions.
Two UME candidates were also allegedly caught at Kings�College with handsets containing answers, three candidates were arrested at Muroko Comprehensive Junior High School while one candidate was caught using his GSM to perpetrate examination malpractice.
Speaking on the incident, Architect Ugoji said that the revelation means that somebody was with the question papers somewhere which enabled him or her to work out answers to the questions, completing the fraudulent exercise by texting answers to the candidates in the examination hall.
Ojerinde frowned at the antic of the alleged exam fraudsters, stating that the arrested candidates will be handed to the police. He, however, said that the examination was peacefully conducted, adding that it was the most successful examination ever conducted by JAMB.
Lagos State commissioner for education, Dr. Leke Pitan, who also monitored the examination, said that examination centres in the state would be better monitored if JAMB seeks the guidance of the state government in choosing centres with controllable environment, adding that such collaboration between JAMB and state government would make it possible to strictly monitor the examination with security.