Candidates aspiring to gain admission into Nigerian universities, polytechnics and monotechnics will no longer write either Universities Matriculation Examinations (UME) or the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Examination (PCE).

This is because arrangements have been concluded for the introduction of the new unified tertiary matriculation exams, UTME.
Registrar and Chief Executive of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, told newsmen yesterday in Abuja that the new examination exercise will commence next year.
He said activities are in top gear to ensure that the syllabus, brochure and exam questions are harmonized.

Prof. Ojerinde said: “We are combining the two syllabi and the brochure to the extent that the individual will be able to see which universities are available, which polytechnics are available and colleges of education in the same handbook. In terms of questions I want to tell you that we are prepared. The syllabus is going to be unified one such that people who are going to the university, polytechnic or colleges of education will take same subjects which will cut across same syllabus.”

On the registration form for the new examination, he said a candidate would be allowed to choose up to six different schools, two from each of the tertiary institutions “so that if the university admission doesn’t work out the polytechnic or colleges of education will. It will give the children a lot of chance to choose. It will reduce cost and give a boost to technical and vocational education in the country. By next year the first set of this examination will hold in 2010.”

Ojerinde equally muted government’s intention to completely do away with post UME. Said he: “Government is working on it. If we conducted our exams well why should we do another post UME? We are now involving the universities in the conduct, supervision and invigilation of this exam. committee of vice chancellors are working together with us to see how we can make things work out and finally stamp out post UME.”
On the 2009 UME, scheduled to hold on April 4, he pointed out that a total of one million one hundred and eighty two thousand, three hundred and eighty one (1,150,381) candidates are registered for the examination, a 5.7 per cent increase from last year’s figures.

He also hinted that the board has derecognized some examination towns and centres where large scale cases of examination malpractice were recorded during last year’s examination. The black-listed examination towns include 5 centres in Omoku, Rivers State and one in Oji River.
Also some centres in Okene, Ife and Enugu were derecognized. “We are not going back to them until they sanitize themselves. We will use the institutions in those towns to conduct our examination.”



http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/apr/01/national-01-04-2009-13.htm