By Dayo Adesulu
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."
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