text: The 2021_2 Pen-on-Paper (PoP) examination of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has commenced this Tuesday at all the 103 study centres across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
  The examination, which is meant to evaluate the learning achievements of 300 level students and above of the West Africa’s foremost Open and Distance Learning (ODL) university, will run for the next three weeks and end on Friday, December 3, 2021.
  It will then give way to the e-Exam (computer-based exam) designed for 100 and 200 levels students, as well as other students who offer General Studies courses, from December 6, 2021.
  Reports reaching NOUN News have it that students were seen rushing to their various centres to beat traffic in order to make it to be checked-in for the exam before 8.00 a.m.
  At Port Harcourt Study Centre, at the time of this report, students were reported to have been checked in and made ready for the exam as early as 7.45 a.m., as the Director, Port Harcourt Study Centre, Dr. Nnenna Chukwuma, told NOUN News that there were no issues at all as everything was smooth and in order.
  At Yenagoa Study Centre, Bayelsa State, the Director, Dr. Mathias Jarikre, said the take-off of the exam was smooth and seamless.
  The same was reported of Calabar Study Centre, where the director, Prof. Onyeka Iwuchukwu, said that her centre received the code quite in time, consequently the exam also started in time and everything was going on smoothly at the time of this report.
  Prof. Charity Okonkwo, the Director, Uyo Study Centre, in a chat with this reporter, said there was no issue whatsoever at the moment.
  Similarly, the Director, Asaba Study Centre, Prof. Chibuogwu Nnaka, reported a hitch-free take-off of the exercise at her centre.
  Fillers from Benin Study Centre also confirmed a smooth commencement of the exam at that centre. Prof. Olubiyi Adewale, the centre director, who spoke on phone with this correspondent, said that there were no issues at all, saying that everything was smoothly on course so far.
  The Director, Ikom Community Study Centre, Dr. Edwin Bassey, said his centre was already half way through the first session of the exam at the time NOUN News placed a call across to him, confirming that everything was going on hitch-free.
  At Emevor Community Study Centre, the director, Dr. Lucky Amede, said the examination started on schedule and was going on smoothly.
  In the same vein, the Director, Fugar Community Study Centre, Fugar, Edo State, Prof. Jonathan Aliede, reported that the exam was going on without hitches at his centre.
  However, the Director, Owhrode Community Study Centre, Dr. David Dedekuma, reported that his centre experienced an initial hitch because the code was not sent in time.
  He called the Situation Room and was advised to log-in without the code, an attempt which the system rejected.
  After reporting back to the Situation Room, the code was eventually sent to them and the exam took off and had been going on smoothly, expressing confidence that the hitch would not recur during the 11.00 a.m session.
  At Uromi Community Study Centre, Uromi, Edo State, the exam was also reported to be seamlessly smooth.
  The centre director, Dr. Tessy Angba, who talked with NOUN News confirmed that there were no issues at all, as the exercise was going on without any hitch at the time of filing this report.
  The 8.30 a.m session of the examination did not hold at Sapele Community Study Centre, because, according to the centre director, Dr. Anthony Kaine, there were no students offering the courses that were examined during the 8.30 a.m session.
  Kaine, however, said that his centre was 100 percent ready for the exams from the 11.30 a.m session and students were already on ground waiting for the commencement of the second paper.