Oloyede, who spoke during a courtesy visit with his
management team to the corporate headquarters of The Guardian, said persons
calling for the extension failed to consider issues involved.
The JAMB boss, who met with the editorial board of The
Guardian, said: “The examination we are conducting cannot be banked because it
is a ranking examination; it is not an examination that determines full
assessment of the candidate.
“Our examination does not qualify you for any placement; it
is your five credits in O’ Level that places you in the university or polytechnic.
Our own exam is to say, ‘there are more people who are qualified, let us rank
them’. If you have 400 over 400 in UTME and do not have five credits in O’
Level, you are going nowhere.”
Corroborating Oloyede’s claim, Professor of Educational Measurement
and Evaluation, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Boniface Nworgu, who was
also part of the JAMB team, said extending the validity would be an aberration,
as every test has its purpose and characteristics.
Nworgu pointed out that UTME is a norm referenced test,
which results or scores are interpreted in reference to the group that took the
particular examination, not in reference to any external standards or criteria,
which is the case with other types of tests or examinations.
He said: “The implication of this is obvious. Once a cohort
or a group of candidates takes this particular examination, you cannot
reference the score of a candidate from that particular group to another group,
which would be taking that test the subsequent year or years.
“Secondly, there is the issue of equivalence or
non-equivalence because UTME, this year 2023, will certainly not have the same
psychometric characteristics as the 2024 examination.
“There is also the issue of unfairness or lack of equity
that will arise when we play with that suggestion. Take for instance, in 2022,
the UTME was very easy, and these candidates scored 320. Now, in 2023, JAMB
gave a more difficult examination, and you bring the score of a candidate who
did an easy exam with those who did a more difficult examination.”
Have you been fair to the millions who took this
examination? In assessment, fairness and equity are very important
considerations.” On fees charged candidates, and money returned to the Federal
Government, Oloyede said the board supports institutions and has built
Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country. He disclosed that the
board, this year, supported universities with N750 million and enhances staff
salaries with N2 billion every year.
In the last three years, Oloyede said the examination body
established a 1,100-capacity CBT centre in Kaduna, 750-capacity centre in
Owerri, and in other states of the federation.
The registrar clarified that of the 1,635,673 candidates
that sat for this year’s UTME, only 399,000 had five credits in O’ Level,
including English and Mathematics.
Responding, The Guardian Publisher, Mrs. Maiden Alex-Ibru,
lauded the examination body for its good work and assured that the organisation
will continue to uphold the truth, no matter whose ox is gored.
Chairman of the Editorial Board, Prof. Wale Omole, and
Managing Director, Mr. Martins Oloja, noted that The Guardian is committed to
speaking truth at all times and advancing the cause of information
dissemination.
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