…JAMB pegs cut-off marks for varsities, polytechnics, others at 180
Indications have emerged that the Federal Government may soon direct universities and other tertiary institutions conducting post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) for admission seeking candidates to stop such examination.
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, gave this hint yesterday when he declared open the 2016 combined policy meeting on admissions into Degree, Nigeria Certificate in Education, National Diploma and National Innovation Diploma Awarding Institutions organised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The combined policy meeting is an annual forum where admission officers and stakeholders from universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions converge to debate on common cutoff points for admissions.
Adamu, who expressed confidence in the UTME conducted by JAMB, however, argued that it was unnecessary for individual institutions to conduct a separate examination to guarantee admissions. “As far as I am concerned, JAMB has built a level of confidence in terms of conducting the UTME, a situation where universities go and conduct other examinations is unnecessary.
“If the universities have any complain against JAMB, let them channel their complaints appropriately and we would address it. “But if JAMB is qualified enough to conduct tests and they have conducted test, then there will be no need to conduct another test for students to gain admission,”Adamu said.
The Minister also urged JAMB to stop extra charges on several categories of admission modifications, especially change of course, change of institutions and others issues. This was as a group of candidates protested outside the venue of the meeting, asking for a stop in the payment of fees by candidates to write the post-UTME.
They carried various placards calling on the Federal Government to stop Vice-Chancellors from charging fees for the examination, arguing that the fees were exploitative.
Though few in number, they suggested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), initiate probes into the various university administrators, especially the utilisation of the post- UTME funds generated annually.
Meanwhile, the policy meeting, however, agreed that 180 be adopted as general minimum cut-off points for admissions to universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and other diploma awarding institutions respectively.
The meeting, moderated by the Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, also revealed that preferences for degree awarding institutions were still on the high side.
According to him, first choice preference for degree awarding institutions stood at 97.78 percent as against 1.1 percent for National Certificate in Education and National Diploma courses.