Hitches in the conduct of UTME, inexcusable The Punch Published 29 June 2021 UNIVERSITY admissions in Nigeria are fraught with pains, misery, physical danger, and corruption. Centrally administered by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was no less arduous for the candidates and their long-suffering parents. Across the initial 700 Computer-Based Test centres nationwide, widespread technical hitches, delays, electricity outages and gross incompetence marred the exercise, according to media reports. Having transitioned from the manual test system to the CBT a few years ago, these hitches and stress are inexcusable. Secondary school leavers desirous of tertiary education experience innumerable encumbrances as they seek admission to universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education. Their collective trauma includes but is not limited to the tedious online registration process, fees, restrictions on the single use of a mobile number for a candidate and sharp practices by officials and test centres. With candidates struggling with ePIN and USSD payment systems, JAMB had to extend the registration to May 29.