News

JAMB and Africa’s place in global ICT revolution

Published

9 years ago

May 13, 2017

By: IO Clement

One of Africa’s most talked-about ICT success stories in the education sector is the adoption of Computer Based Test (CBT) for entrance examination into tertiary schools organized by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, a Nigerian examination body with a core mandate to conduct Matriculation Examination for entry into all Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in Nigeria.

Globally, there has been an ICT revolution since 2000. The internet economy has grown larger and faster than could have been reasonably expected back then. In future, technology, connectedness, the internet-of-things all promise a more efficient, fast-paced economy set within an accessible global market. But how can Africa really harness all this change to its betterment?

For a long time, ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ in technology were only latent concepts in Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular, until the dawn of the digital age. ICT plays an important, valuable and critical role in education development. Its usage has become very common but its full potential is yet to be discovered. Nigeria’s JAMB is now playing a critical role in ensuring that Africa maintains its pride of place in the Global ICT arena with a particular reference to education. It is heartwarming to see that fact that developing countries have now understood the importance of ICT and have started adapting to it as a basic tool for quality education.

The trailblazing credentials of JAMB experienced a surge with the coming on board of Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who has accelerated reforms at the institution and fast-tracked innovation. JAMB is applying ICT to areas that no one would have thought possible.

The ICT mediated examination innovation by JAMB, which replaced the Paper and Pencil Based examination system that was fraught with problems of accuracy and delay in timely results’ declaration is an effective tool for integrating and automating the activities of examination system to bring reliable, efficient, transparent and robust e-examination solutions for Africa..

JAMB, especially under Professor Oleyede, has increased its institutional capacity and credibility since the introduction of the CBT in 2015. Determined to make the Computer Based Test all inclusive to different category of candidates with disabilities, JAMB embarked on nationwide training for visually impaired on the use of Apex Braille-note computer. This is quite commendable.

The Apex Braille-note computer is an electronic devise invented by the Board to enable visually impaired to take the Computer Based Test without stress like a normal Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination candidate.

The machine is affixed to a desktop computer and questions are deployed to it electronically with hearing aid. No fewer than 200 visually impaired participants in the training held at designated venues across the nation; namely South West Resource Centre in Abeokuta, Lagos , Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt.

It is a good thing that the parliament through the Nigerian House of Representatives committee on Education has thrown its weight behind the JAMBs ICT drive with reference to the Computer Based Test (CBT) when it said the electronic test was in tandem with global dictates to sanitized the education system. “The paper Pencil Test (PPT) was cumbersome and characterized with several irregularities and unwholesome activities. The world is flying and we cannot be crawling”. The Chairman of the Nigerian House of Representatives committee on Education Hon. Zakari Mohammed was quoted to have said.

Thus, if the Board’s major objective is to completely eliminate malpractices through the conduct of CBT, it may as well have achieved it because the CBT has to a large extent eliminated malpractice in the Board’s examination process. As with everything good, there are those who will lose because of the elimination of malpractices. These are the people that pick holes in the reform and tend to highlight the few teething issues.

Irrespective of how much such people try to make a mountain out of a molehill, JAMB could compete auspiciously with any examination body in the world considering its innovation in digitizing its examination. The innovation has now restored confidence and integrity in its examination process. With the pace of the current Registrar, the body is set to become a global reference point.

From its application to obviously mundane tasks to its use for the noblest of all human endeavors, the place of information and communication technology (ICT) in today’s world cannot be over-emphasized. The fate of individuals, businesses and countries largely depends on how fast they latch on to the ICT revolution and stay ahead in the game. It is the 21st Century equivalent of the scramble for land and territory most races of humankind have been involved in from ages past.

Against the backdrop of the importance of ICT to the present era, the effort by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) which has now phased out the use of the paper and pencil method for its examinations in favour of computer-based tests, is not only a commendable step in the right direction, it is also a pointer to the fact that Africa and indeed Nigeria is playing a very crucial role in global ICT revolution.

A disquieting percentage of graduates in the country today are not computer literate, thus, making them unemployable. This wouldn’t have been the trend if all critical stakeholders in the education string had been proactive in espousing ICT, specifically in testing candidates over the last two decades. The contemporary workplace is ICT-oriented and anyone not trained in this direction is hopelessly unfit to take on many tasks in the corporate world, which can only get more sophisticated, as technology is being daily improved to work more for the human race

Embracing ICT for providing the robust, transparent, accurate and authenticated outputs as we have witnessed with the JAMB innovation brings substantial quality improvement in education and this needs to be extended to other examinations in the country.

Nigeria’s JAMB has taken the lead. There is no gainsaying the fact that ICT will make exam system more efficient and transparent. This will produce competent human resources, which will contribute to the development of the country. The development at JAMB, which fully digitized and modernized most of its operation is the way to go and should be rolled across others facets of the education sector.

Nigeria and notably JAMB has been highly successful in creating a modern ICT supported examination platform. Learning the lessons from JAMB, while also understanding the breadth of the application of ICT is valuable for broad goals of a smart country and the quest for efficiency. This is because the success story of JAMB’s ICT drive will enable Nigeria and Africa to compete in a global technology economy, developing its own tech-enabled businesses, content, applications and services.

A consensus has been built around the fact that today is the era of technology which is resulting in changing the life style of people. Today many African institutions are imparting education in the field of ICT, but its application in the functioning of the system is low. The meaning of computerization is limited to just typing or surfing web; full potential of ICT has not been explored. ICT is a useful tool to have transparency, reliability and efficiency in examination system. There are tremendous facilitations integrating ICT with examination system. JAMB’s ICT innovation from what we have seen will ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the examination system and effectively deals with malpractice and inefficiency thus bringing about the much needed change.

Clement is a medical practitioner at the Harvard University, and contributed this piece from the USA.

News

Zimbabwe considers controversial presidential term-extension bill

Published

22 hours ago

June 2, 2026

milcah

Zimbabwe’s justice minister introduced to parliament Tuesday a controversial constitutional amendment bill that would extend the term of the president, but faces fierce opposition and court challenges.

Parliament has to vote on sweeping changes to the constitution approved by the cabinet in February that include a provision that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term until 2030.

The measures would also do away with general presidential elections, giving parliament the power to appoint the president, and extend the terms of lawmakers from five to seven years.

The amendment has become one of the most contentious political issues in Zimbabwe, where Mnangagwa’s Zanu-PF party enjoys an overwhelming majority in parliament.

After introducing the proposal, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told journalists the government was determined to push the measure through a parliamentary debate.

He said a 90-day public consultation process was successful and widely supported.Related News

Opponents say the consultations were marred by intimidation and violence, with anti-amendment activists assaulted by suspected state agents or arrested.

Several legal challenges seeking to stop or invalidate the amendment process are before Zimbabwe’s courts.

Critics say the bill would entrench the Zanu-PF, which has governed the resource-rich country since independence in 1980, overseeing crippling economic crises and accused of corruption and repression.

Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 in a military-backed coup that ousted Robert Mugabe, president for 30 years.

He was elected for two five-year terms, in 2018 and 2023, which is the constitutional limit for a president.

AFP

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News

National Governance Index Showcases Best-Performing States

Published

2 days ago

June 1, 2026

milcah

Top 10 Performers:

Kaduna State 73%
Delta State 70%
Anambra State 65.5%
Niger state 65.1%
Ekiti State 64.5%
Akwa Ibom State 64%
Lagos State 64%
Oyo State 61%
Enugu State 56.5%
Borno state 54%

Middle 10 Performers:

Kwara State 53.5%
Abia State 52%
Ondo State 51%
Nasarawa State 50.5%
Osun State 49.5%
Ogun State 48.5%
Kano 48.5%
Kogi State 48%
Edo State 47%
Jigawa State 46.8%

Worst 10 Performers:

Bauchi State 44%
Ebonyi State 42%
Katsina State 41.5%
Gombe State 40%
Kebbi State 34%
Plateau 33.5%
Rivers State 30%
Benue State 25%
Yobe State 22%
Taraba State 20%

These rankings are based on the CIAPS Governance Performance Index (CGPI) report, which evaluates states’ performance in areas like e-governance, transparency, and accountability.

The CIAPS Governance Performance Index (CGPI) is an initiative of the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies, CIAPS. CGPI was conceived as a catalyst for benchmarking, documenting, measuring and encouraging good governance in Nigeria.

News

RUN Set to Mobilize Millions of Youth for Tinubu/Akpabio Ahead of 2027

Published

3 days ago

May 31, 2026

milcah

Following the conclusion of party primaries, Rising Up for a United Nigeria (RUN) as a civil society group championing the cause of all youths and middle age citizens has congratulated His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his landslide victory in the presidential primaries recently held.

RUN also congratulated Senator Godswill Akpabio for emerging unopposed and the wild jubilation that greeted his victory as the Senator representing his constituency, the good people of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria at large.

In a press release signed by Amb. Solomon Adodo and made available to journalists, a copy of which was sighted by our correspondent, the group described the win of the duo as beam of hope for Nigeria beyond 2027.

According to him, “the win of Asiwaju and Akpabio signals a beam of hope for Nigeria that beyond 2027, we shall be consolidating on the gains of synergetic partnership between the legislature and the executive as a precursor for rapid development.

“The support extended to Mr. President by the Senate President has yielded significant strides in fasttracking development across all parameters that affect national productivity”

The group therefore called on all Nigerians to come out in their numbers to support the president while outlining series programs with potentials to foster national unity across regional and religious lines.

“As a group representing the interests of Nigeria youths, we are determined to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President towards improving the skill set of Nigeria youths towards increased productivity and an end to unemployment”, the release stated.

The group expressed confidence in the possibility of a new Nigeria of our dreams with the victories of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Godswill Akpabio who will definitely be handed a second term as the Senate President “to continue synergizing with Mr. President for a better Nigeria”.