The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has directed parents to stay away from all Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres during the 2024 UTME exercise.
The directive was issued at the final briefing of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre owners, which was held virtually on Wednesday, 17th April, 2024.
JAMB spokesperson, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said parents who flout the directive should be arrested while their wards should be disqualified from sitting for the examination.
He said this became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the board’s previous exercises.
“Some miscreants also disguise as parents to infiltrate the centres to perpetrate all forms of infractions.
Consequently, the Registrar disclosed that the Board has directed security operatives to work with the centres to apprehend any meddlesome parent, who come near the centres,” he said.
He quoted Prof Isha’q Oloyede, the registrar, as saying going by the extant national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.
He said it is evident that these parents had not allowed their wards to pass through the classes as defined in the document, hence, the determination to follow their wards to the examination venue with the aim of compromising examination officials.
“At any rate, it is clear to any discerning observer that these parents deserve to be sanctioned as they had obviously ‘smuggled’ underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit the examination,” he said.

The Board also advised candidates to jealously guard their personal details, e-mail address, as well as their registration and phone numbers.
‘This advice is issued against the backdrop of some candidates, who might be enticed into patronising any of those fraudulent websites out there. Consequently, the Board informed candidates that if their personal details are found with any of such sites, they would be treated as accomplices and prosecuted.”
Furthermore, the Registrar said all arrangements have been concluded for the conduct of the 2024 UTME, which will be held in over 700 CBT centres across the nation.
He disclosed that the Board expects a seamless exercise but it has nevertheless made adequate provision to tackle any technical glitch that might occur in the course of the examination.
He, however, warned that if a session experienced any technical challenge, candidates in subsequent sessions would be allowed to sit their examination as scheduled while the candidates in the challenged session would be rescheduled for the last session for the day or the following day or even further depending on the centre schedules.