…As JAMB reinstates cmmitment to conduct 2013 UTME Diverse reactions have
trailed Federal
Government’s decision to
scrap the National
Examinations Council,
NECO, as well as the Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examinations, UTME, just as
the Joint Admissions and
Matriculations Board, JAMB,
Thursday restated its
commitment to conduct a hitch-free UTME
examinations on April 27,
2013. Professors Ralph
Akinfeleye of University of
Lagos, Florence Banku Obi
of University of Calabar and
Abayomi George Ojanuga
of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, who are
in support of the proposed
scrapping said it would
give true meaning to
university autonomy,
eliminate irregularities and help universities
capture the best students. However, Prof. Olu Jegede
of Obafemi Awolowo
University’s, Vice
Chancellor, Caleb University,
Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju and
Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, argued that the adoption
of the White Paper’s
recommendations would
spell doom for our nation’s
education sector which,
they believe, would be thrown into a state of
confusion. While pointing out that the
move to reduce the powers
of JAMB was long overdue,
Professor Akinfeleye said it
would give true meaning to
university autonomy. He said: “It is long overdue.
It would give true meaning
to university autonomy as
schools’ management
would participate in the
recruitment of the students as it is done in advanced
climes”. Asked if this would not
breed corruption as it
would be a case of selling
admission to highest
bidders, Akinfeleye said “It
would promote pedagogical purity, quality
assurance and transparency
in institutions of higher
learning because they
would want to maintain
their reputation and integrity.” It ‘ll promote varsities autonomy The Dean, Faculty of
Education, University of
Calabar, Professor Florence
Banku Obi, who had similar
view, said the move would
promote university autonomy, as each
institution will be able to
decide who is admitted
into the school. “I know of someone who
scored 300 in UTME but
can’t speak English. This
would take us back to the
old system where after
school certificate examination, a student
goes to the institution of
his choice where entrance
examination will be
conducted by the school.” On NECO, Obi said “I do not
know why the government
will scrap it, as it was
established to bridge the
lapses of WAEC”. Professor Abayomi George
Ojanuga of the Department
of Soil Science and
Agricultural Engineering,
Faculty of Agriculture,
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, said the
centralization, which JAMB
represents, is not proper
and it does not produce the
best. He said: “I think each
university should be
allowed to conduct its
entrance examination as
was done in time past,
though JAMB would act as the regulator.” Varsities should be allowed to conduct their exams In a similar vein, the Vice-
Chancellor, Fountain
University Osogbo, Osun
State, Professor Bashir Raji,
said “with the criticisms
trailing UTME every year, it is better scrapped. With
the introduction of Post-
UTME exams in the
universities, it became
double exams for
students”. On NECO, Raji noted that
NECO was created in a bid
to run away from the
monopoly of WAEC. “There
is nothing wrong with
having two, three or four examination bodies in a
big country like Nigeria.
NECO has gained the
confidence and acceptance
of the people so I don’t
know why government wants to do away with it
now. Nigeria needs more
examination bodies.” File Photo: Cross section of students writing exam File Photo: Cross section of students writing JAMB exam Pointing out that the idea
would help universities
capture the best students,
Professor Titilayo Kuku of
the Department of
Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-
Ife, said “a lot of
irregularities trail JAMB’s
exams. Students were
buying results and that was why universities introduced
post-UTME. “A survey was conducted
and it was discovered that
those who score very high
marks in UTME struggle to
pass while those with low
scores make first class or second class. At Ife, 45,000
candidates applied but
after the post-UTME, only
5,000 managed to make it. The advantage in
universities conducting
their exams is that they are
able to manage it better
and again, students will
stop paying double, for UTME and post-UTME.” On his part, Dr. Karo
Ogbinaka, Chairman,
Academic Staff Union of
Universities, University of
Lagos said, the scrapping
of JAMB may be a step in the right direction
depending on what the
Federal Government is
trying to achieve. He said: “Almost all the
universities in Nigeria are
conducting their internal
exams known as post-
UTME. This makes it
cumbersome for the candidates seeking
admission, considering the
fact that they have to sit
for JAMB before the Post-
JAMB. This is not so in most
countries because the universities set their
benchmark for admission,
making things easier while
saving cost on the part of
government. It ‘ll spell doom for our educational system Leading the pack of those
against the move is the
Dean, Faculty of Education,
Obafemi Awolowo
University, Prof. Olu Jegede,
who said this would cause a major setback for
Nigeria’s education sector
and universities will be far
apart in technology due to
lack of standard He said: “The problem with
this decision is that it will
cause a major setback in
our education sector,
therefore, we should be
prepared for the worst. In education, there is
something referred to as
science and measurement
which is used for setting
standardized exams such
as the UTME. UTME goes through standardized
procedure before getting
to the students. “But with this new
development, universities
will be far apart in
technology, because it will
be garbage in, garbage out.
I know that the government may be trying
to cut costs, but this step
will lead to a reduction in
quality”. Advising government to
tread carefully before
adopting the
recommendations, the
immediate past ASUU
President and current Vice Chancellor of Imo State
University, Professor
Ukachukwu Awuzie, said
UTME will enable millions of
students to compete for
the few admission spaces. On scrapping of NECO,
Awuzie said one
examination body is not
enough, adding, “there is a
reason for WAEC and there
is a reason for NECO, if you scrap, you must replace it
with another.” Education in comatose Stating that the proposed
scrapping of JAMB is an
indication that our
education sector is in
comatose, the Vice
Chancellor, Caleb University, Professor Ayodeji Olukoju,
said stakeholders in the
sector have to be part of
making such strong
decision”. He said: “If admission is
left in the hands of
institutions, instances of
some students having
multiple admissions while
some have none would abound, and the admission
process will lack merit. “NECO should be given
another chance because it
was established to help
students who couldn’t get
the five credits
qualification for university admission.” JAMB to go ahead with 2013 UTME The Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board, JAMB,
yesterday, gave assurance
that the 2013
examinations would go on
as scheduled. This was contained in a statement
signed by the Public
Relations Officer of the
Board, Mr Fabian Benjamin
and made available to the
News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos. The statement said that
the reassurance became
necessary in view of
reports in some national
dailies that the Federal
Government may have cancelled UTME
examination. It said that the board
wished to state that as a
responsible and responsive
organisation, it was not
averse to innovation,
changes and government policies aimed at
improvement in the
education sector. The statement further
reiterated that JAMB had
not changed the date of
the 2013 UTME for
applicants seeking
admission into the country’s various
institutions of higher
learning. It said that consequently,
the board’s 2013 UTME,
slated for April 27, would
take place as scheduled. NECO staff express fear With this development,
members of staff of the
National Examination
Council, NECO, were
yesterday gripped with fear
following the purported plan by the Federal
Government to scrap the
examination body. It was reliably gathered
that majority of the staff of
the Minna-based
government agency were
apprehensive of what may
become their fate should the government go ahead
to abolish the council. When newsmen visited the
council headquarters,
yesterday, some staff who
were at their duty posts
were seen discussing the
newspaper reports and their fate. Efforts to talk to the
Registrar and the Chief
Executive Officer of the
Council, Professor Promise
Okpala failed as he was not
on seat, while other officers kept sealed lips. But a senior staff who
spoke in confidence said
they are yet to receive a
copy of the report or
directive from Federal
Government. He said: “As you can see,
people reported for work
today and we all attended
to our schedules. It is true
the report came to us as a
surprise. We had to buy the newspapers to get the gist.
We are sincerely disturbed,
because in this country
anything can happen’’. Another female staff
wondered why the Federal
Government will accept
such recommendation by
the Orosanye’s committee.
She said: “Britain with lesser population has many
examination bodies and
here we are about to kill
the only one we have. It
will be sad if the Federal
Government finally approves the scrapping of
NECO”. “The staff strength of the
council is over 4,000 and
with branches in all 36
states including, Abuja
what will happen to us all”. Stephen Oronsanye led
Presidential Committee on
the Retionalisation and
Restructuring of Federal
Government Parastatals,
Commissions and Agencies had recommended the
scrapping of the council
along with 37 others. The committee also
recommended the merger
of 52 and the reversion of
14 departments, in a move
to safe over N862 billion
between 2012 and 2015.