Di Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (Jamb) don announce say di arrival time for di 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) don change from 6:30am to 7am. Di exam go still start by 8:30am and end by 10:30am as e dey before.
Dis announcement come afta some candidates and dia parents begin complain say 6:30am dey too early for pikin dem to dey move around. Jamb tok say candidates no need to reprint dia exam slip because of dis time change.
Di 2026 UTME go hold from 16 April reach 25 April for 989 centres across Nigeria. Ova 2.2 million candidates go sit for di Computer-Based Test dis year.
Jamb don already ask candidates wey register make dem start to print dia examination notification slips. Di slips contain candidates examination date, venue, and time. Di board tok say because di exam go happun for several days, e dey important make candidates confam dia individual schedules.
“Candidates dey strongly advised to print dia exam slips in order to confam dia examination date, venue, and time,” di board tok for one statement wey di tok-tok pesin Fabian Benjamin sign.
For security matter, Jamb warn candidates and examination centre operators against examination malpractice. Di board say dis year examination get enhanced security measures wey go fit stop all forms of cheating.
Jamb don assign each candidate to specific schedule on di slip, wey go allow dem arrive for centre bifor examination time. Dis go make sure proper screening and accreditation happun bifor exam start.
To print exam slip, candidates need visit Jamb website and click on 2026 UTME Slip Printing. Den dem go input dia details like contact, email address or registration number.
For monitoring, Jamb warn all accredited centres nationwide say any facility wey no get surveillance camera wey dey visible from di Board control room for headquarters go face sanctions. Di board fit no pay for dia services or even invalidate di centre.
“All centres wey dey participate for di processes, particularly registration and examination gatz ensure say dia surveillance cameras dey accessible and viewable from di Board control room,” Jamb tok.
Di examination body also warn say during exam, any centre wey suddenly become unviewable from monitoring desk go face immediate delisting. Jamb say dis real-time monitoring go allow dem detect irregularities and take prompt action.
Di board don already delist some centres based on say dem no dey visible for dia central monitoring system. Last year exam, ova 150 centres no dey visible from control room for Jamb headquarters, leading to mass failure before corrections come later.
For 2025, Jamb sue 94 candidates ova alleged malpractices and fake certificates. Di examination Board dey put measures in place to ensure say di scores wey candidates use for dia tertiary institutions na di real grade.
Meanwhile, anxiety dey high among candidates and parents afta di UTME mock examination wey hold on Saturday March 28 experience technical glitches. Reports of delayed commencement and outright cancellation for some centres don make many fear for main exam.
One candidate wey identify imself as Ayomide from Holy Saviour School, Lafenwa, Itele in Ado-Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State say im experience during mock don cause deep fear. E say system repeatedly display “unauthorised” access and log am out multiple times.
Another candidate, Rachael Oyedele from same centre, observe say supervisors fail to inspire hope and instead blame candidates for lack of CBT experience despite network instability.
At Quiblaminds Comprehensive CBT Centre for Ahmadiyyah, Abule Egba, Lagos, candidates wait for over seven hours before exam start, and many no fit write because of technical problems. One candidate attempt only four questions before server crash.
Jamb admit responsibility for di lapses during mock examination. For Monday, March 30 Bulletin, di board tok say di mock na to expose problems before main exam. Fabian Benjamin describe di mock as largely successful but admit say technical failure disrupt exercise for few centres.
Di examination body explain say 2026 mock feature two sessions: primary mock and second session for additional practice. Centres wey fail during exercise go be delisted.
Dis no be first time Jamb dey admit failure. Last year, afta public outcry over 2025 UTME results where over 1.5 million out of 1.9 million score below 200 marks, di Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede appeal for forgiveness. E say technical personnel inadvertently fail to update some delivery servers for Lagos and South-East zones.
Students affected by dat development later allow to re-sit examination. But doubts still dey about Jamb assurances for 2026 exam.
Educationist Mrs. Mary Okoh say Nigerians already disappointed by mock turn out. “As parents, we dey resort to prayers and hope say things go work out for our children,” e tok.
Another parent, Mr. Abdul-basit Shorounmu, say time no dey on Jamb side to address lapses noticed during mock. E say Jamb fail to learn from past mistakes.
Seventeen-year-old Mariam Ayinla wey sit for 2025 UTME but no secure admission say im inability na because of similar technical glitches last year. E no get opportunity to re-sit and approach 2026 UTME with depleted confidence.
Educationist Mr. Taofik Sumonu say di challenges no be insurmountable but call on Jamb to guard against errors wey fit threaten examination integrity. E suggest strict pre-examination system checks, accreditation of only centres with reliable infrastructure, and optimization of examination software.
As candidates prepare for di exam wey go start next week, all eyes dey on Jamb to deliver smooth exercise without di technical problems wey don plague previous editions.
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