Board Begins Accreditation For 848 Computer-based Test Centres

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has commenced the accreditation of examination centres for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

A total of 848 Computer-based Test (CBT) centres will be covered in the exercise, which began yesterday throughout the country.

According to “JAMB Weekly” bulletin released in Abuja yesterday, the registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed the exercise during a virtual meeting with chief external examiners (CEES), chief technical advisors (CTAS), zonal directors, state coordinators, Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria (CPAN), ZITOs, SITOs, PITOs and other critical stakeholders.

He enjoined the accreditation team to be focused, diligent and thorough in the onerous task ahead, as well as be conscious of the consequences of their decisions.

Oloyede urged them to see their assignment as a call to national duty and implored them not to accredit centres that are not suitable for the board’s examination.

He advised the participants to be security conscious, avoid unnecessary risks, minimal movement and acts that could expose them to danger, even as he assured them that maximum security had been put in place for a hitch-free exercise.

The board’s IT consultant, M. Damilola Bamiro, said the accreditation was only for centres which had conducted the mandatory automated test deployed to check system readiness, with results determining eligibility for physical inspection.

He said that the areas the team must focus on at each centre were the coverage areas of the CCTV system, which must be wired and use a HIKVision model with the recommended 16 channels, as well as ensuring all switches are connected to the UPS.

Other requirements are verifiable holding rooms/halls and proximity to the examination hall; identification of 250 functional laptops for new centres; spacious registration points with CCTV coverage; accessibility of network cables for biometric verification and use of star topology with all switches connected to the master switch to make troubleshooting easier.