Abuja In Kaduna, Kaduna State, stakeholders in the education sector called for scrapping of Post-UTME, saying it was a distraction introduced to extort candidates.
They said JAMB should be strengthened to serve as a one-stop-shop for admission into tertiary institutions.
The stakeholders attributed the high cost of processing admission into higher institutions to double standard, arguing that the situation had led to extortion, favoritism, nepotism and other corrupt tendencies.
Mr Felix John, a teacher, said securing admission was much easier when JAMB was the only body entrusted with such responsibility.
John said the advent of Post-UTME made the admission processes costly, cumbersome and fraught with corruption.
“With JAMB, all students needed to do was study hard and obtain the cut-off point; if successful, their admission letters will be sent to them via the postal address they provided at the point of registration.
“Then Post-UME was introduced and with it came nepotism, favoritism, godfatherism, and other corrupt practices.
“With this development, it is no longer your performance but who you know – relations, neighbours, family friends and more importantly, the strength of one’s pocket.
“As I am talking to you, it may surprise you to know that, as a teacher, I tried six times to gain admission into university for a bachelor’s degree in education through direct entry, but without success.
“I applied with my A-level result, National Certificate of Education (NCE) 13 points; I believe if it were JAMB, I would have graduated long time ago’’, he said.
Mr John Umaru, a parent, argued that admission through JAMB was purely based on merit, while the Post-UTME had compromised the admission process.
Umaru said the cost implication in processing admission had denied students from poor background access to tertiary education.
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According to him, most of such students are discouraged from making attempt because of the series of charges involved in processing admission.
“Students will pay for JAMB form, buy scratch card to check result and print result slip after which he or she will be made to incur similar expenses, if not more, to write Post-UTME.
“The painful thing is, after incurring all these expenses, there is no guarantee that one will secure the admission, even if he obtained the minimum requirements in both the JAMB and the Post-UTME.
“I, therefore, strongly advise that Post UTME be scrapped and JAMB strengthened to conduct admission processes in the country so as to reduce the pains of student and parents.”
Mrs Helin Tuga, a parent, said the government must simplify the process, to restore its integrity.
“Something must be done to address these problems and make the processes better, affordable and easier for everybody’’, she said.
David Daniel, a student, said sanity will return to admission processes into tertiary institutions if Post UTME was scrapped and JAMB assigned the sole responsibility of handling admission matters.
“I am a victim of the current double standard, I wrote JAMB four times, obtained the cut-off point, passed Post- UTME, but could not secure admission’’, Daniel said.
Alhaji Salwanu Maiwada, the Coordinator, National Teachers Institute (NTI), Study Centre in Birnin Kebbi, also supported the retention of JAMB as the final body for admission into tertiary institutions.
He recalled that until recently, JAMB had regulated admission into the institutions jointly with other stakeholders without hitches.
Maiwada stressed that admission offered by JAMB was usually in partnership with key stakeholders including vice chancellors, registrars, rectors and provosts.
He dismissed the Post-UTME as “a distraction”, which had turned out to be
exploitative, ineffective and strain on students and parents.
The NTI coordinator supported a review of the cut-off points especially for educationally disadvantaged states.
He suggested that the institutions with insufficient UTME candidates be allowed to re-open admission for qualified candidates.
A top official in Ministry of Education Kebbi, Mr Ahmed Umar, blamed universities and other tertiary institutions for making tertiary education too expensive for parents and students.
According to him, the Post-UTME is a means of generating revenue by the institutions in gross violation of the JAMB Act.
Some teachers and students in Kafanchan, Kaduna, frowned at double examinations required for admission into tertiary institutions.
They contended that this undermined the function of JAMB and posed as setback to education development.
They called for sole regulatory body that would be vested with the responsibility of conducting examination and standard criteria into tertiary institutions.
Mrs Christiana Musa, tutor at Government Secondary School, Takau said some graduates of the school wrote JAMB and had the required cut-off points.
“But they are yet to be admitted to their chosen institution of higher learning.
“Some of the institutions insist that a candidate passes its internal examinations before admission irrespective of the candidate’s JAMB score.
“I urge the FG to scrap such internal examinations which encourages corruption and empower JAMB to grant admissions into higher institutions.
Mr Luke Abbah, teacher at Excel Academy, said there was need to review national policy on indigenes.
Abbah noted that quite a number of students were denied admission for not being indigenes of states where their chosen tertiary were located in spite of their JAMB score.
Mrs Agnes Gizo, a lecturer at the Kaduna state College of Education, Gidan Waya, however, suggested establishment of more tertiary institutions and expansion of existing ones.
“The problem is that thousands of students write JAMB every year and institutions available cannot accommodate all of them at once’’, she said.
Mr David Alusuwong, ex secondary school student resident in Kasist area in Kafanchan, said he scored 189 points in JAMB exam but was denied admission at the State University.
“The institution said it already had required number of candidates for the course.”
Miss Maimuna Ibrahim, ex-student resident in Ungwar Alede in Kafanchan, urged government to standardise admission process by scraping internal examination of tertiary institutions.
Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, the Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan branch, called for the scrapping of UTME to allow tertiary institutions to conduct their own examinations.
He said many universities started the Post-UTME “because the JAMB- conducted examination lacked credibility.’’
Ajiboye said tertiary institutions should be left to conduct their own entry examinations, adding that a single entry examination would save cost.
Similarly, Mr Wale Akinremi, the Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Ibadan Chapter, called for the scrapping of JAMB, arguing that it had outlived its relevance.
He said a study had revealed that Nigerian universities were not attracting foreign students because of JAMB which, he claimed, had not been able to defend its result.
Akinremi said: “So many people abroad want their children to come to Nigeria for their university education but for JAMB.
“JAMB has inflicted serious torture on Nigerians, especially our children, who are seeking admission into universities.
“What performance do you expect from a brilliant applicant who had been tormented, traumatised and subjected to vigorous exercise before writing the examination?’’
Some parents, who spoke to NAN, also decried the hardship being faced in the admission process, calling for drastic measures to tackle it.
A parent, Mrs Joyce Haruna, said it was unfair and harsh for JAMB to post applicants to universities different from their choice and areas of residence.
“It is unheard of that an examination body will just decide to take such drastic actions that can terminate the dreams of our wards’’, she said.
Mrs Bisi Akinyele, on her part, said the current admission process was too cumbersome, stressful and expensive.
“They should have just one unifying body that will handle all admission processes into the universities while JAMB should be scrapped’’, she said.
But Mr Taiwo Olusola, another parent, said JAMB and tertiary institutions should be allowed their roles in the admission process.
He, however, advocated that a body should be put in place to check their activities to curb any excesses.
“If one organisation is responsible for admission nationwide, I believe it will be too complex for them to handle the large number.
“Our level of development cannot handle that now’’, he said.
Olusola, who also said cut-off marks should be put in place to ensure standards, added: “When there is an organised system, anyone who scores high should be given admission.
“We are having problems because the education system is not organised, such cannot happen in a developed country.’’
Students also expressed diverse opinions on the controversy over admission policy with many complaining about the exorbitant cost of gaining admission through duplication of assessment.
A student, Tunde Fatoki, called for the replacement of the sole admission body, claiming it was “short changing poor Nigerian students.
“I strongly believe that the management of JAMB is just unduly making money from students who are at the end of the day are not given admission.
“The right thing for the new government to do now is to establish a more credible body that will be independent of government’s control.
“I think that it will be more efficiently managed than what we currently have”, Fatoki said.
In Ado-Ekiti, Professor Emeritus, Kayode Odusanmi, said scrapping JAMB would bring about the desired quality in the nation’s education.
He described JAMB as a mere money spinning outfit, adding that its annual entry examination could not be rated as a determining factor for school leavers.
The don said many admission seekers pay exorbitant fees to obtain JAMB forms on annual basis in spite of the limited admission space.
A retired Principal, Mr Segun Ogunmodimu, also told NAN that the yearly fluctuations in the cut-off marks adopted by JAMB were suspicious and unhealthy for the system.
He called on the National Assembly to enact a law that would regulate the activities of JAMB in a way that the money and time invested by admission seekers would be judiciously harnessed.
Similarly, Mr Sina Animashaun, the Chairman, Ekiti House of Assembly Committee on Education, Science and Technology, told NAN that mass failure in JAMB examination called for appraisal.
He said the House would not shy away from playing its role in ensuring that money collected from admission seekers in the state was not misapplied.
The Chairman of ASUU, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Olu Olufayo, said JAMB lost its relevance when post-UTME was introduced.
He also queried the inclusion of private universities in UTME, saying JAMB should not regulate examinations for institutions government was not funding.
The State Director of JAMB in Ekiti, Elizabeth Temilola, however, justified JAMB’s existence, saying the body would continue to live up to its responsibility.
She gave an assurance that the board was not ready to compromise standards even in the face of growing criticisms.
In Osogbo, Osun, stakeholders called for overhauling of the admission process into tertiary institutions using a specified benchmark.
They also told NAN that a cut-off mark was necessary for admission process to ensure sanity.
Alhaji Fatai Kolawole, the Permanent Secretary of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), said a reasonable benchmark was necessary for smooth admission process.
“Universities and other institutions of higher learning always set cut-off marks to limit influx of applicants which might make the admission process so cumbersome.
“That does not mean that those who score above the limit will automatically get admitted; there is still need for further screening to meet up with the capacity of the school concerned.
“However, the government must be proactive in making provision for the teeming population explosion in the higher education sub-sector’’, he said.
A Senior Administrative Officer in the Ministry of Education, Mr Sarafa Adekunle, called for more drastic measures in restoring sanity into the admission process.
Adekunle canvassed granting autonomy to universities to fix their minimum cut-off marks in line with their standards and number of applicants.
He also called for more tertiary institutions to offer more choices to candidates.
An educationist, Mrs Bolanle Agboola, however, said the current admission process through JAMB should be maintained.
Agboola said the double examination process introduced for admission seekers though herculean was also effective.
In Akure, Ondo State, Dr Idowu Ologunagba, Acting Rector of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, said the double process of admission helps institutions to screen who to admit thoroughly.
“Every institution, either government-owned or private-owned, has its own peculiarities and candidates must ensure that they meet up with requirements set.
“It is dangerous to give admission to candidates without any interaction with them’’, Ologunagba said.
Seun Akinwole, who is seeking admission into a tertiary institution in the country, argued that JAMB had outlived its usefulness “because schools now do post-UTME before a student is admitted.’’
Akinwole noted that the admission process into tertiary institutions in Nigeria was too rigorous.
He said: “we don’t have money to go to private schools. We can only go to public institutions. But the cost of post-UTME forms is even higher than the amount we paid for our JAMB form.
“This is just another avenue for schools to make money. The Federal Government should help us to look into this issue.’’
Adeolu Iwakun, the President, National Association of Ondo State Students, called for the maintenance of the status quo.
“Once JAMB says that cut off mark is 180, both the private and public institutions must follow its order.
“It is quite unfortunate that most institutions set their cut off marks between 200 and 250 which is often at variance with JAMB’s cut off mark of 180’’, he said.
But Gbenga Ayenuro, the Vice President in charge of National Affairs, National Association of Nigeria Student (NANS), advised the Federal Government to scrap post-UTME and set a general cut off mark for admission.
Ayenuro said NANS considered UTME as a means of extortion of students seeking admission into tertiary institutions.
“We want the Federal Government to intervene on the issue of post-UTME and call JAMB Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, to order.
“We want JAMB to reverse its policy; it should regulate and set irreversible cut off mark for all students. That is our stand”, Ayenuro said.
In Ilorin, Kwara, stakeholders urged JAMB to adopt a uniform admission process into tertiary institutions.
Mr Wale Ibrahim, a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwara State University, Malete, urged JAMB to ensure uniformity in conducting entrance examination into the various tertiary institutions in the country.
Ibrahim said the body should set a standard that every institution irrespective of the owner must be subjected to.
“JAMB should act independently to organise entrance examination without any interference from any institution or authority no matter who you are”, he said.
A lawyer, Mr Ayo Ogunleye, condemned the rigid policy of catchment area applied by some Nigerian institutions, saying it encouraged discrimination and disunity among Nigerians.
“We are all Nigerians and everybody has the right to education. So, using catchment area, to me, is discriminatory”, he said.
A student, Mr Tajudeen Ajeigbe, said JAMB should be the only body responsible for admission nationwide, adding that the double admission procedures were confusing.
Ajeigbe added that tertiary institutions in the country now see admissions as commercial ventures for exploiting parents.
“Most of these schools charge as much as N10,000 for their forms and this is after paying for JAMB form and taking the examination.
“Even when you score high marks in UTME, you don’t get admission if you don’t buy the post UTME forms”, he added.
Mr Olayinka Zubair, a parent, said the collaboration of JAMB and other institutions in determining cut-off marks after the initial 180 announced by the admission body amounted to betrayal.
Many technocrats insist that JAMB had lost its integrity as an examination body and called for its total overhauling.
Mr Oladapo Ola advised JAMB to learn from foreign examination bodies like SAT and TOEFL.
“The Federal Government should intervene in this matter.
“ It is obvious that the process of admission is getting too enormous for JAMB alone and as such there are inconsistencies in the admission process.
“Take the case of America where students are required to write SAT and each university has its cut-off point”, Oladapo said.
He said student’s performance should not be a reason for JAMB or the universities to review their cut-off marks on yearly basis.
Another expert, Mr Olusegun Elijah, called for synergy between JAMB and government-
owned tertiary institutions.
“JAMB is a government-owned organisation established to conduct
examination for entry into higher institutions.
“Government institutions now say they do not believe in the authenticity of results, thereby organising private examinations for admission.
“This means JAMB has lost its integrity and if that is the case, writing UTME is a waste of time, energy and resources”, Elijah said.
But in Abeokuta, Ogun, the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) commended JAMB’s initial innovation to spread candidates across catchment areas.
The Chairman of NUT in Ogun, Mr Dave Ilekoya, said JAMB’s idea was to ensure that those who had high scores got admission into other institutions in their zone.
“In the past, you can see a candidate with higher score being denied admission as against the candidate with lower score due to influence peddling.
“JAMB’s innovation, to me, is a good one but people misinterpreted it because there is mistrust somewhere’’, he said.
On the need to establish a clear cut admission process, the NUT chairman said the policy behind the country’s admission process was good but the initiators of the policy were not sincere.
“No matter how laudable a policy is, if the principal initiators are bad, that policy will be seen as a bad one.
“There is nothing wrong with JAMB’s policy but it is the people who are involved in carrying out the policy that we should look at, not the policy itself’’, he said.
A parent, Alhaja Aminat Olorunisola, said she was bothered by the tedious process of gaining admission into higher institutions.
Olorunisola said the admission process through which JAMB and tertiary institutions were admitting candidates should be streamlined to ensure efficiency. (NAN)
Chidi Amadi, 16, student of a community school in Port Harcourt, Rivers, sat for the last University Tertiary Matriculation examination.
Amadi said although he scored 180 marks in the examination, he was not too sure of gaining admission into a university of his choice.
“The processes involved in the post- UTME are too cumbersome and not many people can afford them.
“I will prefer a process where you get automatic admission if you scored high marks.
“For now, I will go the state College of Arts and Science or apply for remedial course in a university; that way, I think I will gain admission’’, he said.
Similarly, Ibim Sokari, a 17, student, who also sat for the UTME in Rivers, scored more than 200 marks.
She said although the admission processes were too much, she was satisfied with it.
“I did well in the post-UTME; so, I am optimistic of a place in the university.’’
In Edo, some parents believe that the UTME and post UTME are good to ensure high standard in the admission of students into universities.
Some of the parents who spoke to the NAN in Benin, said having one body to conduct entry exanimations into tertiary institutions would encourage high level of corruption and malpractices.
Mr Ofure Osehobo, an educationist, said that a double admission process, despite the various fees charged, was the best procedure to enthrone high standards in education system in the country.
Osehobo said that situations where more than 90 per cent of students scored above the stipulated UTME cut off marks, post- UTME was the best way to select the best students for admission.
He added that some tertiary institutions in the country had better standards than others.
He said that allowing UTME alone to set a general cut off mark without such institutions organising their own entrance examinations would result in reducing the standard of such institutions.
Mr Osas Uyi, a business man, who also supported the double entry examinations system, said UTME should not allocate students to different institutions.
He said that students should be able to use their UTME results to apply for admissions and write entrance examinations into different institutions of their choice.
However, Miss Kemi Ajayi, an English Language graduate, decried the situation where students had to spend huge sums of money and travel long distances to sit for post UTME.
She advised students who met the required UTME cut off mark not to be subjected to write Post UTME but be offered admission to the institution of their choice.
She said that situations where some institutions set high cut off marks other than that stipulated by UTME was an avenue to deliberately keep out many students from institutions of their choice.
In Bayelsa, some stakeholders decried multiple examinations before gaining admission into university.
They argued that the process was not good for tertiary education and suggested that students with five credits should be admitted into universities.
Dr Jeremiah Yabefa, Rector, Bayelsa Collage of Arts and Science, urged the federal government to adopt comfortable and soft policy that would enable students to gain admission into tertiary schools.
“The issue of admission into tertiary institutions in the country is worrisome; admission is supposed to be easy for the citizens; how can people be writing so many examinations before admission?
“Some students have written examinations, especially the JAMB four or five times and yet, no admission into the universities for them.
“The federal government should scrap JAMB and adopt a policy that can make education easier for the people”, Yabefa said.
A parent, Mr Lambo George, stressed the need to adopt a clear cut admission process in Nigeria and urged JAMB to maintain cut-off points for admission.
“The schools in the country are making education difficult for the people; JAMB has done well by putting the cut-off mark at 180 for universities and 150 for polytechnics.
“Screenings, especially the post-UTME, has not helped in establishing credible admission into tertiary institutions.
“We, parents, are made to pay so much money to get admission for our children; let us go back to the drawing board and adopt policy that can make admission process easier in the country”, George said.
In Cross River, Mr Okon Edet, a retired Principal, said the idea of distributing candidates to various tertiary institutions was good but cautioned JAMB against taking candidates too far from their abodes.
He said some parents might not be in a position to afford the logistics required to convey such candidates to their destinations.
“For example, I live in Calabar and my daughter who preferred University of Calabar is posted to University of Uyo, I can manage that.
“But if she is posted to Enugu or Benue, obviously, I will not accept that because I cannot afford the expenses, so what happens, she loses out’’, he said.
Also, Mr Itoro Ubong, an educationist, berated JAMB for the new policy, adding that it ought to have called for stakeholders input before taking such decision.
“No matter how good a policy may be, the people affected should be told in time and if possible there should be an elaborate and extensive contribution.
“JAMB should have organised workshops, seminars and other forums to enlighten parents, candidates and the media on their proposed plan rather than just coming with such policy’’, he stated.
In Delta, some parents called for streamlining of admission policy in the country.
Mr Chris Nwakina, a school proprietor, said there was need to put clear cut admission process in place in Nigeria.
Nwakina said it was most discouraging for students not to gain admission after going through rigours examinations.
“ It is a painful experience that anyone would not like to go through again.
“Apart from losing the money that you spent in the process, one year that can never be regained has been lost’’, he said.
A student, Miss Joy Mordi, corroborated Nwakina`s claim and called for a simple admission policy for students in the country.
Mordi said some institutions were just using the sale of scratch cards to enrich themselves.
“ If the trend is not checked, the dreams of many students of becoming graduates will fail’’, she said.
A parent, Mr Ifechukwudi Okafor, said some parents had been compelled to take their children abroad for university education because of the cumbersome processes of gaining admission in the country.
Okafor argued that it was duplication of efforts to make students write the UTME and post-UTME.
He suggested that the schools should be left to conduct the examination on their own or that JAMB should be responsible for the examination. (NAN)