The 104 Federal Government Colleges, aka Unity Schools, were established to unify the country through interaction by pupils from various parts of the country. This laudable aim is far from being attained as the schools are evolving into regional based colleges. KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE, ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA and CLARICE AZUATALAM report.

MANY parents believe so much in the Federal Government Colleges (FGCs), aka Unity Schools. They do everything possible to get their children into these schools.

The Nation visited FGC Ijanikin, Queen’s College, Yaba, FGC, Enugu, FGC, Jos, FGC, Ikole-Ekiti, FGGC, Efon-Alaye, King’s College, Lagos, Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba, FGC, Awka, FGGC, Calabar, FGGC, Abuloma, FGC, Umuahia, and FGGC, Ipetumodu, where many of the principals and teachers told our reporters to direct their queries to the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja.

The National Examinations Council (NECO) conducts the National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) for admission into the 104 single sex and co-educational colleges. Each state is assigned cut-off points based on performance of its candidates in the examination.

The states with the largest number of good scores have higher cut-off points than others.

For instance, while Anambra was assigned a cut-off of 136, Imo, 135, Abia, 128, and Delta, 126;[size=18pt] educationally-disadvantaged states like Kebbi had 35, Jigawa, 33, Taraba, 29, Sokoto, 27 and Yobe, zero[/size].

At the beginning of every session, when new Junior Secondary School (JSS1) and Senior School (SS1) pupils are admitted, principals are bombarded with requests for admission by parents who keep vigil in their offices daily. Many among the parents usually do not understand why their children are not taken on the merit list though they made better scores than others from less performing states.

A parent, who did not want to be named, decried the situation, saying quality was sacrificed on the altar of quota – given that a pupil who scored above 140 was not admitted while candidates from states with zero cut-off point were admitted.

The Principal of King’s College, Lagos, Otunba Dele Olapeju, denied his claim. He said none of the candidates admitted scored zero, rather the colleges admit based on levels of merit.

“What we do in selecting candidates admitted on state and environmental bases is to pick those with the best scores that applied from each state. At King’s College, we admitted three candidates from each state. None of the candidates scored zero. Why Yobe had a cut-off of zero is because if 80 candidates are supposed to be admitted by all the Unity Schools nationwide and only 60 applied, then it means all of them will be admitted so it negates the cut-off,” he said.

He said if merit alone was employed the Unity Schools would not achieve federal character.

“For instance in the last examination out of 6,000 candidates that made the national cut-off, Anambra State had the lion’s share. Between Imo and Anambra, they took a sixth of the national merit. You cannot blame them for being brilliant. However, if all Anambra candidates are admitted there will be no unity colleges,” he said.

Despite all states having slots in each college, pupils no longer travel from all over the country to attend the colleges. Teachers said those admitted from the North into schools in other regions do not honour the admission. In almost all cases, they said those that do, have their parents living or working in the environment.

A teacher at the Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC), Calabar, Cross River State, blamed this trend on the insecurity in the country.

“The problem now is the response. It is not all candidates of students offered admission that accept it. In the past you could have students from all the states, but you cannot get that now because of the situation in the country. Someone in Akwa Ibom State now would not let his children go to Maiduguri, Borno State capital, and vice versa, so that is really a problem.”

It is the same story at the Federal Government College (FGC), Ijanikin, Lagos. The Principal, Mrs Oyewole-Ibukun, said: “What happens is that we don’t usually get candidates from the North in this region. I’m not talking about this school alone but in the entire South, though I don’t know why this is so. But I can tell you I received a candidate from Yobe State who scored 156.”

Rather than reflecting the whole country, the Unity Schools attract pupils mainly from the geo-political zone where they are. For instance, at Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Awka, Anambra State, most of the pupils admitted are from the Southeast; the outsiders, especially from the North or western states are those born in the state.


A teacher at the FSTC, Yaba, Lagos said when quotas of some states are empty, they are filled with pupils from other states.

“Most of them that were registered as northern pupil’s are not actually from the North. Probably, they are northerners by birth but their parents are based here in Lagos. My own children were registered as North’s candidates while they are not just to make up the quota.”

A source at the FGGC Abuloma, Port Harcourt, River State also said if a particular state, say Yobe, is given about 15 slots and at the end only two from that state turn up, the remaining slots would be left for the principal and senior teachers to fill up with their own persons.

“Getting admission through this connection means that money must exchange hands. If the leg of a parent whose child is on merit list is not strong, the child might even be dropped,” the source said.

Another source said a parent was forced to give up his child’s admission because he could not pay the N100,000 demanded by the school authority.

The pressure that teachers face during the admission process is so tough that some principals avoid their offices or bar visitors. A teacher at FGC, Ikole-Ekiti, said teachers generally find it rough during admission period such that those with tendencies for high BP are especially miserable during the season as even candidates with critically low marks demand attention and seek pity.

“When he couldn’t meet up, he had to give up the admission,” the source said.

In terms of the ability of pupils admitted with less-than-excellent scores to cope with the academic demands of the colleges, many of the teachers said they ultimately adapt and even excel.

A teacher at the FGGC, Oyo, said because a candidate comes from an educationally disadvantaged state does not mean he or she would be dull academically.

He said: “Dullness and brilliance are not peculiar to any state or group. Just as we have some pupils from Southwest repeating classes here, so we have them from other regions. The ‘equity of states’ consideration is just to allow the admission process to open access to all qualified candidate irrespective of where they hail from. They always blend. They cope eventually because their mates drive them inadvertently. The environment helps them blend; after a session or two you will hardly notice when they are graduating.”

The ability of children from such backgrounds to improve is also helped by extra efforts by their teachers. A teacher at FGC, Ijanikin said poor pupils are encouraged to improve.

“In this school, we do not believe in advising poor students to withdraw. We (teachers) always take such situation as a challenge and put in our best until such a child improves,” the source said.

Another source at King’s College, Lagos attested to this fact.

He said: “I taught at Queen’s College, Yaba for 15 years and we once had a girl who could not speak a word of English. The principal at that time, asked me to interpret when she asked how she was admitted. The girl said she was just told by her father that she was going to Lagos. The next day, the principal called the head of the English Department and told her that if the school is, indeed, a change agent let this girl be a test case. She mandated the teacher to ensure that the girl became like the rest of the girls by the end of three months, and it was so.”

seanet01: This is madness. What nonsense.
They can as well start giving them Bachelor's Degree without writing JAMB.
This country is a dilapidated desert

seanet01: This is madness. What nonsense.
They can as well start giving them Bachelor's Degree without writing JAMB.
This country is a dilapidated desert

baby_mama:

And these are the same folks that will rise to rule the country just by virtue of their state of origin
And we wonder why the country is messed up.
How does one justify a student barred admission for getting 135 in one state and another gets in with 29 or zero sef

koruji: We will know when real transformation comes to Nigeria because such a leader will clear away this rut and still leave the country more united than ever.
Our current Mr. Transformation is a see-no-evil do nothing person - how can you transform a country like that.

berem: Do parents still allow their wards go to unity schools? Gone are those days when people crave for unity schools.i went to a unity girls' school between 91 and 97.back then candidate's result were been bought over.i scored 144 in my first attempt in pry 5,got admission in fggc owerri and before i knew what was happening my prospectus was that of fggc bauchi.my parents refused me going.i repeated the exam in pry 6,scored 156,got the same admission in fggc owerri,and got a prospectus of fggc gusau! Well,i had to go to zamfara state finally.back then there was massive corruption in the federal ministry of education.am shocked that unity schools now use quota system for admission.back then it wasnt really like that.it such a shame.unity schools have lost its glory.

taharqa:
Wondaful!!

stillwater: Do they change the cut off mark yearly or they use a different scale? Because during my time the cut of mark for Anambra state was at 454 or so. Other states too were in the 400's.

baby_mama:

I went to an FGGC before you
Quota has always been
I remember then our headmistress at school always made it clear to us that being from Imo state,we had to work twice as hard since the surest way to get in was merit list, where 30% into each school was chosen from.
This was before the selling of results.

[/quote]for instance, while Anambra was assigned a cut-off of 136, Imo, 135, Abia, 128, and Delta, 126; educationally-disadvantaged states like Kebbi had 35, Jigawa, 33, Taraba, 29, Sokoto, 27 and Yobe, zero.

He said if merit alone was employed the Unity Schools would not achieve federal character.
“For instance in the last examination out of 6,000 candidates that made the national cut-off, Anambra State had the lion’s share. Between Imo and Anambra, they took a sixth of the national merit. You cannot blame them for being brilliant. However, if all Anambra candidates are admitted there will be no unity colleges,” he said.

A teacher at the FSTC, Yaba, Lagos said when quotas of some states are empty, they are filled with pupils from other states.
“Most of them that were registered as northern pupil’s are not actually from the North. Probably, they are northerners by birth but their parents are based here in Lagos. My own children were registered as North’s candidates while they are not just to make up the quota.”[quote]

For instance, while Anambra was assigned a cut-off of 136, Imo, 135, Abia, 128, and Delta, 126; educationally-disadvantaged states like Kebbi had 35, Jigawa, 33, Taraba, 29, Sokoto, 27 and Yobe, zero.


“For instance in the last examination out of 6,000 candidates that made the national cut-off, Anambra State had the lion’s share. Between Imo and Anambra, they took a sixth of the national merit. You cannot blame them for being brilliant. However, if all Anambra candidates are admitted there will be no unity colleges,” he said.

lacasa: I can see the South Easterners on board (this thread) claiming intellectual superiority already , because of a string of quotations from an article ;-\

i quite disagree & dare say, -

"Grades don't measure intelligence and age doesn't define maturity."

Taking Nairaland as a case in point, this wise words in quotes above^^, do, largely apply on this forum to a great deal.

Some of the most intelligent & fact based comments on Nairaland today r credited to non-south easterrners to a high ηumber.


And, some of those members i кnoω personally to be from the Northern Part of Nigeria & the South West

Adejoro74:

If Nairaland is a measure of intelligence for you, then you are doomed, am sorry. Some of us come here to yab the crap out of others and not to contribute anything. We contribute meaningfully in real life with real names, not phony monikers. If you doubt it, persuade to start using real names and you will see who is who here.

lacasa: I can see the South Easterners on board (this thread) claiming intellectual superiority already , because of a string of quotations from an article ;-\

i quite disagree & dare say, -

"Grades don't measure intelligence and age doesn't define maturity."

Taking Nairaland as a case in point, this wise words in quotes above^^, do, largely apply on this forum to a great deal.

Some of the most intelligent & fact based comments on Nairaland today r gotten from Non-south easterners mostly.


And, some of those members i кnoω personally to be from the Northern Part of Nigeria & the South West

berem: Do parents still allow their wards go to unity schools? Gone are those days when people crave for unity schools.i went to a unity girls' school between 91 and 97.back then candidate's result were been bought over.i scored 144 in my first attempt in pry 5,got admission in fggc owerri and before i knew what was happening my prospectus was that of fggc bauchi.my parents refused me going.i repeated the exam in pry 6,scored 156,got the same admission in fggc owerri,and got a prospectus of fggc gusau! Well,i had to go to zamfara state finally.back then there was massive corruption in the federal ministry of education.am shocked that unity schools now use quota system for admission.back then it wasnt really like that.it such a shame.unity schools have lost its glory.

stillwater: Do they change the cut off mark yearly or they use a different scale? Because during my time the cut of mark for Anambra state was at 454 or so. Other states too were in the 400's.

lacasa: I can see the South Easterners on board (this thread) claiming intellectual superiority already , because of a string of quotations from an article ;-\

i quite disagree & dare say, -

"Grades don't measure intelligence and age doesn't define maturity."

Taking Nairaland as a case in point, this wise words in quotes above^^, do, largely apply on this forum to a great deal.

Some of the most intelligent & fact based comments on Nairaland today r gotten from Non-south easterners mostly.


And, some of those members i кnoω personally to be from the Northern Part of Nigeria & the South West