The battle Between Jamb and Putme... Who Wins?
The battle Between Jamb and Putme... Who Wins?
Professor Dibu Ojerinde, JAMB Registrar, giving a breakdown of the results at a press briefing in Abuja last Friday, said 901 of the candidates scored 270 and above, 72,243 had between 250-269, 601,151 scored 200-249, 374,920 obtained 170-199, while 336, 330 scored 170 which is below the 180 cut-off mark.
The 180 mark is the qualification to sit for the post-UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination ) conducted by individual Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education for admission.
It is estimated that the total carrying capacity of Nigerian University System (NUS) is less than 500,000 admission spaces.
The critical issue is high demand for universities by tertiary education admission seekers but limited access while polytechnics and colleges of education are last choices of JAMB candidates. Over 500,000 with 180 and above will not get admission due to insufficient carrying capacity. This has become a yearly ordeal for teeming number of eligible youths unable to be admitted, leading to disappointment, frustration and hopelessness.
In the midst of such demoralising situation, JAMB smiles to the bank every year with over N7 billion collected as examination fees from hapless young people. The matter is worsened by the introduction of Post-UTME screening by tertiary institutions, some charging between N2,000 – N5,000 for the test.
JAMB has constitutional responsibility for the admission process. It was established by law in 1978, amended in 1989 and in 1993 empowered to be responsible for the:
(i)general control over the conduct of matriculation examinations into all universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education;
(ii)appointment of examiners, moderators, invigilators, members of subject panels and committees and other persons with respect to matriculation examination;
(iii)Placement of suitable qualified candidates in the tertiary institutions in collaboration with those institutions.
In furtherance of these functions, JAMB conducts a matriculation examination for candidates seeking admission to undergraduate programmes in Degree-awarding institutions within the country. This examination used to be known as the Universities Matriculation Examination (UME) until 2011 when it was changed to Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Professor Ojerinde had explained why the matriculation examination of the three tertiary institutions was brought together, saying that candidates can go to any institution.
He was reported as saying:
“If University doesn’t work, College of Education may work, if not Polytechnics may work. But I am not saying that it is to be for everybody because the spaces available are still not sufficient.”
Before the coming of JAMB, individual universities admitted their students mainly through GCE A/Level or Higher School Certificate (HSC).
“JAMB came into existence because of agitation from the north that the admission process at that time was not favourable to the region,” a keen observer of the nation’s educational development recalled.
Even if JAMB was established by law, the Post-UTME screening has no legal basis as it was neither established by any Act or statute.
Post-UTME owed its existence to the concept of “quality assurance” propagated during the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, that most University students are of poor academic background and so likely to drop out before completing the degree programme. They will come in with exceedingly high JAMB scores of between 280 and 300, but cannot write or speak simple correct English after graduation.
Yet things have not changed for better. Corruption, fraud, bribery, favouritism, nepotism, sectionalism, exam malpractice have combined to make mockery of both JAMB and Post-UTME. They are believed to be money-spinning ventures for tertiary institutions.
Because of scarcity of admission spaces, placements in universities had become “a cash-and-carry exercise”, for the highest bidders.
The number of people who can’t get admission after JAMB keeps increasing every year, building an army of frustrated, hopeless youths easily lured into criminality and anti-social behavior.
Inability of the present arrangement to absorb qualified candidates into the University system is like a time-bomb waiting to explode.
This phenomenon may consume our nation if not adequately addressed by massively expanding access to provide thousands of additional spaces.
Even at that, there is a cold war between JAMB and Pro Post-UTME advocates, putting into context, which of the two is more relevant .
Not long ago, the National Assembly members debated and resolved that post-UTME was illegal and should be scrapped and that the nation should return to HSC/Advanced Level entry qualification into university.
This reporter met with Professor Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary, NUC, recently at Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State and during our interaction, he warned against dropping the post JAMB screening as we may be going back to the dark old days when merit was sacrificed, with poor quality entrants into the Nigerian University system.
“But they should do away with multi-choice questions format. Let JAMB who has the constitutional responsibility for the admission process do the arrangement and incorporate any two essay questions with it.”
He suggested that JAMB should handle the post-UTME in conjunction with the Universities, so they will be able to assess oral skills.
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