Apologies to the late Martins Luther King Jnr. and his estate for the use of the world-famous “I have a dream…” phrase in this write up to highlight my own dreams of a future, the context and contents of which in a way does may not bear the same weight as Mr. Kings’ but nonetheless emphasizes a sub-set of freedom; freedom for students all over Nigeria who have at one point in their life faced the unfortunate situation of having to wait a year or more after losing a battle to the “dreaded” Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)’s University Matriculation Examination (UME), now the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the loss of which might be just a few points or numbers, but the import of which could be summed in the adage “A miss is as good as a mile”.
I have a dream; a dream that one day, JAMB UTME results would be available within 24 hours of taking the examination.
I have a dream, that one day, JAMB UTME examinations would be conducted more than once, at least 4 times a year, in the mould of SAT and TOEFL.
I have a dream, that one day, mass cancellation of results of JAMB UTME centers for irregularities and cheating, in which the innocent suffer as much as the wicked, would be a thing of the past, and everyone would soon be easily held up for his or her sins.
I have a dream, that one day, failing or making a mistake at a single JAMB UTME examination sitting would not prevent a student from entering tertiary institution for a whole year, because such a student would have one or more opportunities to attempt the examination again before admission processing at tertiary institutions for the new academic year.
I have a dream, when JAMB UTME results would no longer be with-held for any reason whatsoever and the days of examination imposters and mercenaries would be a thing of history.
I have a dream that the cost of JAMB UTME eventually would come down because of the reduced logistic costs through Computer-Based and Internet-Based Testing, making it affordable for a wider range of Nigerian students seeking tertiary education.
I believe, to a certain extent from several interviews that he has granted, that the current JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde shares my dream. And I believe that with determination, focus and resourcefulness on his part and with the support of fellow Nigerians, he can make the dream a reality for the benefit of us all and the unborn. However, I must also state here that I have a nightmare…., a nightmare of JAMB UTME CBT gone wrong, in which the focus is on making money from hapless Nigerian students rather than delivering anything of value to them,…. a nightmare in which the JAMB UTME CBT software’s effectiveness and integrity’s compromised and students get the wrong results and are forced to pay for the inefficiencies of others who should have done things right in the first place! I also hope Prof. Dibu Ojerinde shares these nightmares and would work tirelessly to ensure they do not become a reality that has to be defended with excuses in the media here and there, while hapless students and their parents bear the pains of an experiment gone wrong and JAMB contractors smile to the bank.
At EasiPREP, we share the dreams of a CBT future, a future already staring from now, in which computers and information technology makes examination preparation, testing and assessment easy and worth the money, delivering undeniable and obvious value to students, parents and academic institutions. At EasiPREP, we are eliminating the era of carrying around lots of past question paper booklets to prepare for examinations, we’re helping to save the trees, and save the stress. Instead of several booklets to cover several subjects for examinations like JAMB UTME, WAEC & NECO SSCE, you now have it all on something you can hold in the palm of your hand. Yes, that’s why we made the One CD to contain them all… the One DVD to contain them all, 13 subjects and still counting, across 3 major national examinations and still counting; the EasiPREP CBT CD and DVD Editions! Like Coca Cola, it cuts across class, wealth, location and other barriers, to deliver value to that smart, wise and insightful student who wants to make a difference in his/her academic future. For more information, please visit http://www.easiprep.com/
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