07/07/2016
Fresh, resonating calls are
being made for the scrapping
of national tertiary
admissions clearing house,
JAMB, over controversies
generated since Education
Minister, Mallam Adamu
Adamu announced the
scrapping of post-UTME tests
by universities.
Earlier in the week, after a
meeting with administrators
of universities and other
tertiary institutions, the Joint
Admissions & Matriculations
Board announced yet another
system by which students
seeking admission into
tertiary institutions can be
admitted.
This new system is called the
Point System Option, or PSO.
Stakeholders, especially
university administrators and
lecturers are demanding that
JAMB be scrapped. They also
want full autonomy restored
to the universities. They
argued that since the buck of
the admission process ends
on the table of each
university, it is only prudent
that they are autonomous.
They maintained that the
ultimate authority on
academic matters, particularly
with regards to admission
and award of degrees, in a
university globally is the
Senate of the University, not a
government agency or a
minister who is having
difficulties prioritizing the
concerns of his ministry.
Candidates who sat for the
2015 UTME and scored 180
and above have been waiting
endlessly for institutions to
announce admission
guidelines.
JAMB had on Monday during
its meeting with universities
and other tertiary institutions’
administrators adopted Point
System Option for provisional
admission into tertiary
institutions in Nigeria.
The admission process would
work for Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination
candidates and direct entry
students while universities
are to charge fees for
screening of candidates at
the end of the process for
admission.
The Point System Option
PSO is a process whereby
candidate’s total points are
gotten from the ‘O’ Level
grades and JAMB scores’.
It means each grade would
have its equivalent point; A=6
marks, B=4 marks, C=3 marks.
The system suggests that the
better a candidates’ O’ Level
grades, the better his or her
chances of securing
admission.
Closely allied to the above, is
the candidate's UTME score.
The UTME scores have been
grouped where each score
range has its equivalent
point.
According to JAMB,
candidates with 180-185 get
20 points; candidates with
186-190 get 21 points;
candidates who scored
between 200-250 in JAMB get
24-33 points while those
who score 300-400 will get
44-60 points.
Besides, JAMB said: ‘’Any
candidate who submits only
one result which contains
his/her relevant subjects
already has 10 points. The
exam could be NECO, WASSCE,
November/December WASSCE
etc, but any candidate who
has two sittings only gets 2
points.”
In essence, a candidate who
has only one sitting is likely to
get more points than those
who have multiple sittings.
Thus, the addition of these
points and points from your
O’ Level results give you a
total points for admission.
"Cut-off marks will be
released by the institutions
this year in the form of
points, and not marks,” said
JAMB.
Here lies the clause as stated
by JAMB: “If a school declares
its cut-off mark for Medicine
as 90 points and JAMB grants
a candidate with 250 a
provisional admission but
his/her total points falls short
of the 90 points, then he/she
will lose the admission. So the
provisional admission is just
a means to an end, not the
end in itself.”
Meanwhile, before a
candidate can be considered
for the above screening, he/
she must have been offered a
provisional admission by
JAMB.
FME, JAMB don't know what
they want — Aremu
Deputy Director, Distance
Learning Centre, University of
Ibadan, Professor Oyesoji
Aremu in his reaction
described the Joint Admission
and Matriculation Board, JAMB
and the Federal Ministry of
Education as institutions
which lack policy direction on
the Nigerian education
sector.
He said: “JAMB and the
Federal Ministry of Education
seem not to understand what
they exactly want for
education in Nigeria in
respect of candidates seeking
admission. Within a spate of a
month, JAMB has ‘foisted’ two
admission policies on the
country.”
He lamented that while the
initial cancellation of Post-
UTME is generating
controversy and still being
debated, the body came out
with the latest one, Point
System Option.
He pointed out that few
weeks ago, JAMB through the
Minister of Education,
‘decreed’ that money must
not be charged by
universities for pre-admission
exercise, while the latest
development stated that
universities would charge fee
for screening at the end of
the process of admission.
‘’What do we call that?
Confusion!"
Aremu, however said that the
latest 2016 Guideline for
Tertiary Admission which
JAMB called Point System
Option is good, adding that it
is quality-driven and would
not make admission to be
solely dependent on UTME
Scores. He noted that the
initiative is a reflection that
JAMB scores are not fool-
proof as evident in
unsubstantiated scores and
post-admission academic
performance.
He said: ‘’University of Ibadan
used to have this policy prior
to Post-UTME test. It was 60
points for WAEC/NECO and 40
points for obtained JAMB
scores.
"In effect the Ibadan model is
good as being currently
championed by JAMB.
"Recall that the 2015
admission exercise by JAMB
was equally contentious
when the body unilaterally
offered candidates admission
to universities they did not
apply to. It is about time,
JAMB for once should be seen
to be consistent in its
admission policies in
Nigeria.”
Minister deepening
confusion — Odukoya
On his part, UNILAG-ASUU
Chairman, Dr Laja Odukoya
said that with the actions and
policies taking so far, the
Minister of Education has
deepened the confusion he
created.
He said: ‘’Clearly the minister
is merely deepening the
confusion he has created
based on ill-conceived policy
and lack of courage to do
what is right.”
He reiterated that the point
system which he now
introduced was in use at the
University of Ibadan and
jettisoned by UI at the
introduction of post-UTME.
He posited that the minister
by his latest policy somersault
has admitted that JAMB
cannot be trusted with
university admission.
He said: "The minister’s
position is sadly a historical
as it ignores factors that
brought about post-UTME in
the first instance. "With the
new arrangement, candidates
of miracle centres who
brought their scores in
WASCE, NECO and UTME are
advantaged over hard-
working, honest and diligent
students.
‘’Verifiable data from
universities since the
commencement of post-UTME
as proof that those admitted
through Post-UTME are
academically better given the
reduced drop-out rate as a
consequence of poor
academic performance after
the first year in the university.
‘’The minister should have the
courage to do the right thing.
JAMB has failed. It should be
scrapped. Universities should
be given their autonomy to
chose their students. Even the
new policy still allow for
payment for screening.”
He continued, ‘’The minister’s
directive is the illogicality of
our quasi, and feeding-bottle
federalism carried to a
ridiculous extreme. Education
is on the concurrent list and
private universities not
extension of government
bureaucracy despite the need
for uniform standards.
"Two years ago, the National
Assembly had a public
hearing on scraping Post-
Jamb. The weight of evidence
against JAMB made it
impossible to scrapped Post-
JAMB.
"The very last UTME was most
embarrassing with JAMB
experiencing system failure.
Affected students were
dashed 40 marks each by
JAMB! What a manner of
examination body?
"The ultimate authority on
academic matters, particularly
with regards to admission
and award of degrees, in a
university globally is the
Senate of the University not
any over-pampered and
inefficient government
agency or a minister who is
having difficulties prioritizing
the concerns of his ministry
