UTME 2026: JAMB to reschedule glitch-hit CBT centres

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced plans to reschedule examinations at computer-based test (CBT) centres affected by technical glitches during the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Fabian Benjamin, the board spokesman gave the assurance on Friday during a monitoring visit by the Senate committee on tertiary education.

Benjamin, who was responding to the concerns expressed by worried parents and guardians whose children’s centres experienced technical glitches and other disruptions, such as the Good Success Computer-Based Test centre in Utako, Abuja.

The JAMB image maker said that the challenges encountered during the examination are part of the realities of conducting a nationwide examination of such scale. However, he emphasised that the board remains committed to ensuring that no candidate is unfairly disadvantaged.

“Naturally, you should have one or two challenges here and there. It is not unusual, and I do not think there is anybody who will conduct the exam using one thousand centres and then expect that you would not have any problems. But the most important thing is that if this problem does occur, are you prepared to handle it? And that is what we have just done there.

“All candidates impacted will be rescheduled to write the examination at a later date and possibly at a different centre,” he said.

Besides, Benjamin disclosed that the board has existing provisions, including a mop-up exercise, to accommodate candidates who miss their examinations due to unforeseen circumstances.

He affirmed JAMB’s commitment to ensuring that every registered candidate is allowed to sit for the UTME, assuring that those affected would be captured in the rescheduling process and the final mop-up exercise.

Mohammed Dandutse, chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, who led the oversight visit, noted that both JAMB and CBT centres are grappling with operational difficulties.

However, he expressed confidence that the issues would be addressed.

“We have observed both progress and challenges. As part of our oversight responsibility, we will ensure these issues are addressed and that centres operate efficiently going forward,” Dandutse stated.

The UTME commenced nationwide on Thursday, with over two million candidates expected to participate.

BusinessDay earlier reported that a CBT centre at Skillpath International Academy in Karu, where 4,000 out of the 2.2 million candidates were expected to write the examination on Thursday, had issues, which delayed the commencement of the examination. Besides, candidates complained about malfunctioning desktops, mice, and keyboards.

Although the first session was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m, candidates faced a delay of about 15 minutes, as the examination questions did not appear on their computer screens until approximately 8:45 a.m.

One of the CBT managers, who spoke with journalists, blamed JAMB for the delayed start of the examination, lamenting that such setbacks could unsettle candidates.

Besides, he revealed that a similar situation had occurred during the mock examination.

“They delayed for about an hour because of the uploading of questions. This can make candidates forget what they read.

“The candidates are supposed to just walk in, log onto their system and write their exams. The delay contributes to poor performance,” he said.

At Ikorodu in Lagos State, candidates, who were supposed to write their UTME at Winsford Comprehensive College Igbogbo were delayed, leaving the youngsters frustrated without any explanation.