http://punchng.com/utme-not-for-admission-but-for-ranking-oloyede/

Criticisms have been the reaction since the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board announced the decision to peg the minimum benchmark for admission into universities at 120 and 100 for polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education. In this interview, the JAMB registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, responded to issues raised so far by stakeholders, writes FOLASHADE ADEBAYO. Excerpts

The decision to reduce the cut-off mark to 120 for universities and 100 for polytechnics has met with criticism from many quarters. It seems it is not a popular decision.

You see, the issue is that people who are not familiar with a matter, rather than keeping their peace, will be commenting on things that they know little about. Our examination is not an achievement test. It is not a qualifying examination; rather, it is a ranking examination. Anybody that we want to admit into the university must basically have his five credits. It is not JAMB that qualifies them. But, because we don’t have space for all of them, we decide to rank them. What we had been doing was to ensure that nobody who scored less than 200 had a chance. But, this year, we are saying that anybody who scores up to 120 has a chance. With 200, we have never filled our quota in the last 10 years. Some of those who scored over 200 do not have five credits in their O level results.

And you cannot be admitted if you don’t have five credits. Those who are talking have not even dissected the problem, yet they are making recommendations. Other agencies all over the world, like the UKEAS in the United Kingdom, also rank candidates. Some of them do not even conduct any examination. Our examination is not a qualifying examination, it is a ranking examination. What that means is that you can’t admit anybody unless he is qualified. What qualifies an individual is the O level, not the UTME. The children of those who are objecting to this decision go to the UK to study. Do they write the UTME there? They are unfair to the common man who has not stolen money to study in Ghana and the UK.  It is part of a class war that the poor man must be kept under.

This is a ranking examination and this is a decision of all vice-chancellors, provosts and rectors. Commentators cannot claim to know more than these people do because they are commenting out of ignorance. If you have 10 spaces and five of your children are qualified, then you look for a way of ranking them. You can use age. It does not mean that the number six child is not qualified. But, because he came sixth, then you take the first five.

And you can decide on three male children and two female children. So, the fourth male child will not say that you are unfair because there is a parameter. So, our examination is for ranking purposes. We want to rank all qualified candidates and what makes them qualified is the O level. As I speak with you, there was no time in the last 10 years that we have filled 70 per cent of the quota. The colleges of education and polytechnics are there doing nothing. And they kept on admitting students under the table. We are saying no more under-the-table deals. Come and tell us what you are doing under the table and let us see it. But people are commenting on matters that that they are not familiar with.

But 120/400 is a far cry from a pass mark…

I have answered that question. It is not the UTME that qualifies the candidate for admission. It is a ranking examination. We are not telling you to admit this or that candidate. Let me give you an example. Someone scores 300 and another scores 140, the person with 300 has four credits and the person with 140 has five credits. What it means is that you cannot take the candidate with 300 and you cannot also admit the candidate with 140. That is what we have been doing. What we are now saying is that JAMB is a clearing house. That is why people are faking our results and for them, it is a do or die affair. This is because we have created an unnecessary hurdle. Everywhere in the world, what qualifies candidates is the O level. The same thing applies to us. But because we do not have enough space, we have set an examination for them to rank them.  There is no pass or fail with the UTME. We are not saying that universities should leave somebody with 230 and take another with 140.

Let me give you another example. We have never filled 50 per cent of the quota for Physics in the last 10 years. Not that there are no individuals who want to study Physics, but because they did not meet the cut-off point. You are paying the lecturers, but the classrooms are vacant. And, if the candidate is fortunate enough to have parents who can sponsor him to Ghana, he will go to that country with his O level and come back with the same degree. He will now be boasting to his colleagues who were not fortunate enough to have a father who can pay their transport fare.

The belief has always been that our universities are oversubscribed…

I am in a position to know and I know that they are not oversubscribed.  There are institutions that are oversubscribed, but they are few. Tell some institutions, maybe more than five, that have in the last 10 years, filled 70 per cent of  their admission capacities. It is because there is a mismatch. You ask universities to admit 60 per cent of science students and 40 per cent of those who studied humanities. But what the school system is producing is 70 per cent Arts students and 30 per cent Science students.

How do you react to arguments that this was done to assist private universities to lower their standard and accommodate these candidates? 

That is not correct. I have no reason to encourage private universities. But, having said that, for God’s sake, what is bad in encouraging private universities? You allowed them to be established, you set up regulatory agencies for them and you abandon them. I travelled to Uganda and discovered that 40 per cent of the students in private universities in Kampala are Nigerians. I went to their classrooms and took pictures with them. They did not sit for the UTME, but because their parents are comfortable, they want to oppress the children of the poor.

Do you see public universities adjusting their cut-off marks with the latest development?

Universities are universities. They have the right, under the law, to admit whom they want to admit. All these people commenting, you will see their reaction when they start to see results. I am not afraid of controversy. I know where I am going and they are the ones who are just commenting casually. I have a goal. I want to appeal to people to be patient and reserve their comments. Let us see the results. I have been in this for 40 years.  Why can’t you credit me with the fact that I had the opportunity of being the chairman of the Academic Planners of Nigeria Universities, where we plan academic matters? I had the fortune of being the chairman, Committee of Vice-Chancellors, I had the opportunity of coordinating the association in West Africa and I had the opportunity of being the president of the association in Africa. Don’t you think that I would have studied the situation?

How do you react to the fact that facilities in our institutions are overstretched?

What we have done has not increased quota. We have taken all those into consideration. Not JAMB alone, but also the NUC, NCC and the NBTE. We have fixed a quota, based on available facilities. We are not telling schools to overshoot their quota, we are saying, “Bring those people who are roaming the streets into the classrooms to fill the quota.” What correlation do facilities and that has to do? I am not the one who fixed the quota.

olawalebabs , Fynestboi, Richiez

Hmmmm

This man is confuse

Some of those who scored over 200 do not have five credits in their O level

how can he make this kind of comment...

Happy Sunday to every great believer in Christ.

Happy sunday to all Nigerians.

Both IPOB, Muslims, Christians, Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba,. Every single ethnic tribe.

Happy Sunday. May God bless you all.

.

Nigeria, the testing ground for every nonsense

Its true

How then can we begin to rank our students from 120?? This is not just right. We started CBT some years ago and we were applauded for the advancement and now are reducing the cut-off mark in the name of ranking. If the essence of Jamb is now solely for ranking, then it should be scrapped so that the universities can conduct their screening exams themselves. These guys are just putting our lecturers under stress.

is that all? My friend take it back to 200!

We no kuku understand the man

Jimmyokolo:
No be only increase ranking Na Patoranking... This man has ruined his legacy with his testing testing

read well n with understanding u will support this decision.


At first i kicked against it but now i support this moves.

He's got points
Many are roaming d streets unadmitted while some of those above 200 don't clear the 0level to be admitted.
As such, universities admit way below the number they should.
People should please and digest before displaying their ignorance

Jimmyokolo:
No be only increase ranking Na Patoranking... This man has ruined his legacy with his testing testing

Yu didn't even read the post.. You just rushed to quote so you can ganner likes... What will yu gain?

StRichard:
This man is confuse how can he make this kind of comment...

You are more Confused than him... There are lot of people who score above 200 and still don't have 5 credit

What is this man saying sef. So those students that recently scored straight A1s in the last WAEC are children of wealthy Nigerians? Funny.... The children of the poor are the ones that perform better than those of the rich if he doesn't know.

A student who is able to score 5 credits required for admission is worth their salt to score above 120 or 100 in UME.

And no.... UME is a qualifying exam and not ranking exam. They better introduce post UME tests or electronic we will be be getting students with below participation performance admitted.

Looking at the trends.... When children of the rich were failing WAEC, government introduced NECO. Samething happened when their children were not getting admitted by the public universities they licensed private universities the poor could not afford, and now because of high exchange rates, they are now dropping UME cut-off to accommodate their own failed children SMH.... So sad!

Abracadabra!

Initially you said UTME score should be added to O'level to decide admission and fought for Post UME to be back. Less than one year you have returned to ur waste, what a shame!

This man has some points.No UTME overseas and yet their certificates has more employment value than ours.God bless the new policy

This man is not normal
if he feels it's not Jamb examination but Waec that qualifies candidates for admission then let them scrap d Jamb na
instead of making our education system appear substandard ,u really want to give opportunities to student with poor financial background , no need to do one foolish ranking kuku Scrap Jamb

This man is not serious.

First, he insinuates that the 120 cut-off mark favours the poor. What kind of snobbish statement is that? Who told you that children of the poor cannot read?

Second, you say it's a ranking examination, but it has cut-off mark. How does a ranking exam have cut off mark? A ranking exam should just rank people, period. If you score 0-50,you are in this rank; 50-150 - this rank etc. Or am I the one who doesn't understanding ranking?
We all know UTME is a requirement to go to any higher institution. It is used in conjunction with SSCE. If it is just ranking, can anyone get into the university without UTME?

Third, no matter how you spin it. 120 is nonsense. That's freaking 30%. Common, that's an F. An indictment on our education sector.

Stop comparing what is not comparable.

StRichard:
This man is confuse how can he make this kind of comment...

that man is apt, he has seen n disect the system n come out with the solution.

He said nigerian unis never fill their quota for the past 40yrs, he also said lecturers r being paid for teaching empty classrooms. Thats why we now have lecturers in payrolls of 6 or more unis collecting salaries cos their workload is less.

Well, let's give him the benefit of doubt. As he said, he has more experience in this matter than most us

What is he saying, who is he trying to confuse?

My brother has scored more than 200 in three UTME's has more than five credits and is still not admitted.

How does lowering the cut off mark to 120 solve this problem?

God bless this man .......most of this prof and stakeholders in the educational sector their children are not schooling in Nigeria(e.g UI VC and co) so why making life hard for the poor mass ........

yaki84:


that man is apt, he has seen n disect the system n come out with the solution.

He said nigerian unis never fill their quota for the past 40yrs, he also said lecturers r being paid for teaching empty classrooms. Thats why we now have lecturers in payrolls of 6 or more unis collecting salaries cos their workload is less.

You are countering yourself. Lecturers will collect more workload because the students need more Lecturers. Students are too many that why Lecturers can teach in four, five schools.

If the classrooms are wrote as he said, no lecturer will be able to teach in more than one school coz there will be no extra student.

yaki84:


that man is apt, he has seen n disect the system n come out with the solution.

He said nigerian unis never fill their quota for the past 40yrs, he also said lecturers r being paid for teaching empty classrooms. Thats why we now have lecturers in payrolls of 6 or more unis collecting salaries cos their workload is less.

You are countering yourself. Lecturers will collect more workload because the students need more Lecturers. Students are too many, that's why Lecturers can teach in four, five schools.

If the classrooms are empty as he said, no lecturer will be able to teach in more than one school because there will be no extra student.

The man actually made good points, but many won't read the article.

All of u dat is blaming dis man,u all should tink twice,i bleve its a step in D rght direction,enof is enof.pple been deprive of admission all in d name of cut off marks nd @D end dey re fustrated.tanx sir! 4 d help 2 d poor individuals.

In summary of what the man is saying
Utme is not an educational process of entering university.
Utme is just a board to welcome you at the door of university.
Utme is just to rank you qualified for university.
Utme is just here to shake you after olevel and you are set for university.
Utme is telling you now, I am useless , don't kill yourself over me.
Utme is saying just get 120 and go and battle with your universities.
Utme is saying u must pay me first some money for that.
Utme is saying, I'm not in charge of your admissions.
So in general
Utme is just using your money to buy weed.
Utme is one bad nigga that eats but never work.
Utme get no sense but always deceive those with sense.
Utme is Nigeria and Nigeria is utme.
Since utme is useless
Nigeria is useless.

What stops utme to disappear rather than stealing from poor masses.
At least the masses can choose many school after olevel and one must click.
Wickedness in high places.
Wicked country.
God punish you all
Amen

Thanks.