FG Scraps Post UTME, Pegs
Cut-off Point At 180
By Winifred Ogbebo and Chinelo Chikelu
— Jun 2, 2016 4:21 pm | Leave a
comment
The federal government yesterday
announced the cancellation of the post
Unified Tertiary Matriculation
Examinations (UTME) into the nation’s
institutions of higher learning.
Post UTME is usually conducted by
universities for candidates after they
have passed the Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examinations.
Making the pronouncement yesterday in
Abuja to declare open the 2016 combined
policy meeting on admission to
universities, polytechnics and other
higher institutions in Nigeria, the Minister
of Education , Malam Adamu Adamu,
said the federal government has
confidence in the examinations
conducted by the Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board, adding that there is
no need for other examinations to be
conducted by universities after JAMB
exams.
He said, “As far as I am concerned, the
nation has confidence in what JAMB is
doing. The universities should not be
holding another examination and if the
universities have any complain against
JAMB, let them bring it and then we
address it.”
Adamu maintained that since JAMB is
qualified enough to conduct tests,
there’s no need for tertiary institutions to
conduct test again for students to gain
admission.
The minister also asked the Joint
Admissions Matriculation Board to stop
extra charges on several categories of
changes on admissions such as the
change of course, change of school and
others.
Meanwhile, delegates from different
higher institutions across the country
who converged on Abuja yesterday at the
Combined Policy meeting, rounded off
their debate over the cut off marks for
Year 2016 Admissions into the tertiary
institutions, with a cut-off point at 180.
However, the delegates maintained that
the schools should not rule out screening
of candidates ,that screening of is still
vital to gaining entrance into the
universities.
They argued that in the quest for
knowledge, educational standard should
not be lowered in the country.
Speaking with journalists, the JAMB
Registrar, Prof ‘Dibu Ojerinde, said, “180
is given and no institution will go below
180 this year, And some universities can
go above it, I know Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ife will not go below 200 and
University of Lagos will not go below 200
and also University of Ibadan. All these
ones stand. But 180 is a bench mark for
others.”
He said this year, the examination board
have more than enough candidates with
over 1.5 million candidate, saying, “So
we will get enough candidates to take in
all the schools if they are serious”
The JAMB registrar said re- distribution
is already ongoing because it is
embedded in the registration procedure.
He reiterated the minister of Education’s
pronouncement saying, “for post UTME
,no more writing of post UTME anymore
but institutions will screen their
candidates.
However, touts protested at the venue of
the 2016 Combined Policy meeting on
Thursday.
They carried placards with various
inscriptions, some of which called on the
federal government, National Assembly
and other major stakeholders to put an
end to the conduct of the post UTME
exams.
Some also called on the Economic
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and
the ICPC to probe university
administrators on the utilisation of the
post UTME.
[6/2, 22:24] ussybaba: leadership.ng/news/532522/fg-scraps-post-utme-pegs-cut-off-point-180