POST UTME SCRAPPING

The Federal Government on Thursday
ordered that the controversial
examinations usually organised by
universities in Nigeria for admission
seekers after the Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examinations should be
scrapped.

The government argued that if there
was absolute confidence in the Joint
Admissions and Matriculation Board,
there should be no need for
Universities to conduct internal
examinations to determine the fate of
candidates seeking admissions.
The Minister of Education, Mallam
Adamu Adamu, gave the order at the
National Universities Commission in
Abuja, while declaring open the 2016
combined policy meeting on admissions
to Universities, Polytechnics and other
higher institutions in Nigeria.
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 cut-off points for admissions.
Adamu said, “Our universities shouldn’t
be conducting another examination; if
they have any complaint against JAMB,
they should come to the Ministry of
Education and we will look into it.
“If JAMB is qualified to conduct the
computer-based test and they are
conducting the test, then there should
be no need for students to sit another
examination to get admission
“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.”
The minister spoke in reaction to a
protest by a group of students
numbering about 20 at the venue of the
meeting.
The protesters who blocked the
entrance of the NUC office called on
the government, National Assembly and
other major stakeholders to put an end
to the conduct of Post-UTME.
Adamu also ordered JAMB to stop extra
charges for change of course, change
of school, among others.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of
Education, Dr. Folashade Yemi Esan,
also reechoed Adamu’s position saying
the decision to scrap Post-UTME was
unanimously agreed by stakeholders at
the meeting.
The 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 which was moderated by
the Registrar/Chief Executive of JAMB,
Prof. ‘Dibu Ojerinde, also emphasised
that preferences for degree-awarding
institutions was still on the high side.
According to him, first choice
preference for degree-awarding
institutions stood at 97.78 per cent as
against 1.1 per cent for National
Certificate in Education and National
Diploma courses.