Aggrieved parents expressed their frustration on Saturday following the report that the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination scheduled to hold on Saturday at the College of Education, CBT centre, in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State has been disrupted.
Tribune reported that the centre supervisor, who craved anonymity, attributed the reason to a heavy downpour occasioned by strokes of lightning onย Friday.
The hapless supervisor who was subjected to harassment by wards and disgruntled parents held his ground, reiterating that a bolt of lightning struck some of the computer switches during the heavy downpour of the previous day hence the disruption of the examination.
โTechnicians made sure everythingย was working until this morning when we noticedย that some of the computer switches had been destroyed by thunder due to the rain yesterday.
โItโs unfortunate, but theyโve called experts to fix the damage and they have been working on them, trying their best since morning.โ
โSo, I plead with the candidates to exercise a little more patience, no matter how long it takes, they will write the exam today.
โThere are 250 candidates per period and candidates are to write for two periods and each period is two hours making it four hours altogether.
โThe first period was supposed to start by 7:00 am and the second by 9:30 am. Though the exam has been delayed, we will try our best to make sure the candidates write the exam,โ he vowed.
As of about 1:30p.m, candidates and their parents were wandering around the college premises angry and frustrated.
Some concerned parents refused to buy into the excuse given by the JAMB supervisor, saying the delay in the centre has become an annual ritual.
The parents of the affected candidates called on JAMB to stop the college JAMB CBT centre, saying it has always been having issues over the years, thereby causing anxiety for the candidates.
One of the concerned parents, Mrs Grace Amueti, claimed to have travelled all the way from Edo State to the centre.
โThey should cancel this centre. The place is not fit to be used as a centreย for JAMB exams.
โFrom 7:00am till now, they are still doing nothing and they are telling us that it was thunder strike.โ
โIf you put the place in good condition, how can thunder just destroy 250 computer switchesย just like that?โ
โAfter this set, this centre should be cancelled. My child is inside crying, he has read. I came all the way from Edo State for this exam. All the way from Afemai. I paid for a hotel here and I donโtย have enoughย to go back now because I have used the money on other things.โ
Another disappointed parent, Mr Cyril Suokumoh said: โItโs a disappointment. You said children should come to exam centres by 7:00a.m and itโs almost 2:00p.m and they have not started what they came here for. Of course,ย the children will be disorganized. How will they remember what theyโve read?
He continued: โItโs worrisome because JAMB ought to have known that this centre is having problems every year and they keep using this place.
โThere are some students that have written JAMB over two times, God not helping them, do you think such a child will remember what he/she read before coming here? I donโt have much to say; this centre shouldย be cancelled.โ
As of 2:45 pm, the examination had not started as the engineers were still battling to fix the damaged switches while candidates were seen loitering around the premises, downcast.
It was, however, gathered that other candidates at PTI and Benchill centres, in Warri and Effurun, had no hitches as of the time of filing the report.
