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THE POINT SYSTEM: THE BEST MISTAKE OF THE CENTURY
By Chibuzo Celestine.

It is no more news that most schools have already adopted and are still adopting the point system for determining the scores of her aspirants. Well to some people (those with nice WAEC results), it might be an unexpected blessing and to others it's a huge blow. I was among the protagonists of the new point system because it favoured most of my friends but recently, I gave myself a hard pinch and I came back to my senses by cogitating the effects of this new system on our Educational system especially the type of graduates we will be expecting from 2020 onwards if this point system is not changed to something better.

Now let's analyse this policy with its overall defects: Your WAEC result, as it stands now determines to a great extent whether you will be an undergraduate or not. And this is not healthy for the country. If it was in 1980s and 1990s when Waec was a true test of knowledge, I would have welcomed this policy with open arms but now, I can say with no fear of contradiction that 98% of the Secondary Schools in Nigeria are in one way or the other Special Centres.

Gone are the days when Government schools as seen as exam-malpractice-free-school. Even Missionary schools headed by Rev Fathers give their students assistance inside the hall all in the name of protecting the image of school. Getting A's in Waec is now a normal thing which is no more celebrated and Jamb, (not minding the irregularities that always mar it) is seen to some extent as a better test of knowledge than WAEC. In the previous years, Students sit for Jamb and to cover the defects of Jamb (UTME), schools conduct post UTME which has been an avenue whereby they fish out some of those aspirants that in one way or the other participated in Exam Malpractice.

Am not against the scrapping of the post-UTME but it will be appropriate to compare this present mode of screening called the point system to what we had before which defined Merit to some extent.

Since WAEC is now what determines an aspirant's chances of getting admission, the rate of Exam Malpractice in Waec will increase to an unreasonable level. Whenever I think about this new screening method, I ponder on the type of Graduates in form of Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, Economic Planners, Accountants etc we will be expecting in the year 2020. Given the current method of screening (points system) unqualified candidates will be admitted ignoring gurus who probably, wrote WAEC when WAEC was WAEC and had a little deficiency in their results.

Given the current Social and Economic Problems we are experiencing in this Nation, this new Screening method is supposed to be the last change we should make in our educational sector because for us to restructure the Economy, which is not what will actualize in the next decade, attention should be paid to the Education sector because it's the source of manpower with which we can Come out of this pit we are in. If this new screening method which lays great emphasis on WAEC result is the only option, then it's better to leave it the way it was by bringing back the post UTME.

To avert the consequences of this new point system, I implore the FG to take a step back by annulling the new point system which she has introduced and providing for something better which will give equal opportunities to all aspirants and enthrone at least an atom of meritocracy in the admission process.

Also, Jamb should try and effect some improvements in her system of examination which will minimize Exam Malpractice and make it once again a TRUE test of knowledge just like it was in the 1990s. With this, I draw my curtain.

Source: http://unn-edu.info/2016/08/interesting-article-on-the-new-point-system-of-admission.html

I think I agree with the writer to a large extent

cc: Lalasticlala Ishilove Seun