In response to the recent uproar surrounding a candidate's unusually high score in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Anambra Government has established a panel of inquiry to investigate the matter.
In a statement issued on Monday, July 03, 2023, in Awka, Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, the Commissioner for Education in the state, disclosed the panel's mandate. The committee will collaborate with law enforcement agencies to probe the allegations of result falsification leveled against Mmesoma Ejikeme, a candidate from the state, who was previously hailed on social media as having achieved the highest score.
Expressing her dismay, the Commissioner referred to the controversy surrounding Ejikeme's actual result as disgraceful, particularly considering Governor Chukwuma Soludo's ongoing efforts to revitalise the education sector in Anambra.
Notably, the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) recently released the 2023 UTME results, sparking widespread acclaim for Mmesoma Ejikeme, a student at Anglican Girls Secondary School Uruagu in Nnewi. She was purportedly celebrated for attaining an impressive score of 362 in the examination.
However, JAMB refuted these claims in a statement, alleging that Ejikeme's result was fabricated using internet software. On Sunday, JAMB further asserted that the candidate had inflated her actual score from 249 to 362, igniting a contentious debate surrounding the possibility of such malpractice.
While the Anambra State government has initiated an investigation into the alleged falsification by Mmesoma Ejikeme, it commended the achievement of Nkechinyere Umeh. JAMB declared Umeh as the highest scorer nationwide in the UTME, having obtained an outstanding cumulative mark of 360.