http://www.wingsnewspaper.com/32036-2

One of the Education stakeholders in Nigeria has called for a change in university admission cut-off marks. The Chairman of the Exam Ethics Marshals International, Mr. Ike Onyechere has called for the adoption of a uniform cut-off mark for admissions into the country’s tertiary institutions.

The head of the NGO, on Friday also suggested that the laid down criteria adopted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for selecting candidates from educationally advantaged and educationally disadvantaged states should be abolished.

He noted that the candidates who were from the less educationally advanced states usually had lower cut-offs than candidates from the more educationally advanced states. He wished that JAMB would consider the issues alongside various scenarios and make the needed effective adjustments.

According to him, every candidate seeking admission into any Nigerian higher institution should be offered admission based on a uniform cut-off mark. He said: “If you look at it, Akwa Ibom was carved out from Cross River and Akwa Ibom is listed as educationally advantaged state while Cross River is categorised as an educationally disadvantaged state.”

“In other words, the candidates from Cross River will have a lower cut-off mark than candidates from Akwa Ibom. For me, it doesn’t make sense.”

He further explained that most of the states classified as educationally disadvantaged had more federal universities than the supposed educationally advantaged states in the country.

“Kaduna State has over 20 Federal Government educational institutions but it is being categorised as educationally disadvantaged.”

“So those are the kind of anomalies that JAMB should remove and those are the kind of things I am referring to as higher dynamics of malpractice.”

Onyechere further enjoined the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board to proffer policies that would give the youth equal opportunity to access tertiary institutions in the country. He also advised that access to admission to universities should not be lopsided in favor and against some people in some areas of the country

Onyechere said that access to admission would enhance the standard of education in the educationally disadvantaged states.

He added: “All those things should be removed. If you pass, you pass, so you don’t have to water down the quality of education because you want to accommodate certain people.”

HE IS STATING THE FACT, JAMB SHOULD RE-CONSIDER.

F