No More Fingerprint Stress? JAMB Introduces Facial Verification for UTME to Fight Impersonation and Exam Malpractice

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is set to introduce Facial Biometric Verification (FBV) for candidates sitting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), in a major move aimed at tackling impersonation, examination malpractice and biometric verification failures.

The new system will use candidates’ live facial images to confirm their identities before they are allowed to take the examination.

Before candidates start celebrating that they will never have to use their fingerprints again, there is a little twist. JAMB said it will initially retain the existing 10-fingerprint biometric system alongside facial verification. However, the Board plans to gradually phase out fingerprint authentication over the next two to three years, making facial verification the major identity-checking system in the future.

According to JAMB, candidates will undergo live facial verification through an application at the examination centre. The captured facial information will be sent to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which will verify the candidate’s identity and send a confirmation code back to JAMB indicating whether the identity claim has been accepted or rejected.

One of the reasons behind the change is the problems candidates sometimes experience with fingerprint verification. JAMB said fingerprints can be difficult to read when a candidate’s fingers are damaged, wet, dirty, greasy or worn from manual work. The new facial system is touchless and can reportedly complete verification in less than a second. The Board says facial verification will strengthen the authentication process and make it more difficult for someone to sit an examination on behalf of another candidate. This comes as JAMB continues efforts to tighten security around the UTME and reduce examination malpractice.

JAMB is also putting measures in place for accredited Computer-Based Test centres to have appropriate CCTV cameras, while personnel will be trained to operate the new system. The Board says the technology could also reduce the number of candidates who are unable to complete verification because of biometric failures potentially reducing the need to reschedule affected candidates.

With millions of Nigerian students relying on UTME every year for admission into tertiary institutions, JAMB’s move represents one of its biggest shifts in candidate identification in recent years.