VCs, ASUU reject 120 cut-off mark for varsity admission

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* It’s FG’s ploy to destroy public
varsities’

SOME Vice-Chancellors and the Academic Staff Union of
Universities have rejected the decision of the Joint Admissions and
Matriculation Board to peg admission cut-off mark at 120 for
universities and 100 for polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of
education.

ASUU said the action, which it described as a “sad policy
decision,” was in tandem “with the dream of the present government
to destroy public universities in the country.”

Most of the vice-chancellors our correspondents interviewed on
the issue maintained that they would not lower admission standards
in their respective varsities.

The vice-chancellors stated that the decision would add no value
to the nation’s university system.

For instance, in a statement issued by the Vice-Chancellor,
University of Ibadan, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, on the issue and
released by his Media Assistant, Mr. Sunday Saanu, on Thursday, the
premier university stated that it would never admit any candidate
that scored 120 in the UTME.

The statement added, “It should worry us as patriots that
candidates who scored just 30 per cent in the UTME can be admitted
into some of our universities. Yet, we complain of poor quality of
our graduates. You can hardly build something on nothing. The
consolation here is that since JAMB started conducting this
qualifying exam in 1978, UI has never admitted any candidate who
scored less than 200 marks out of the maximum 400 marks.

“This translates to a minimum of 50 per cent. This remains our
position as an institution aspiring to be world-class. Reality is
that only about four other universities in the country have such
high standard. To that extent, apart from being the oldest, we are
an elite university in the country at least judging by the quality
of our intakes.’’

Olayinka, however, commended the decision of the Federal
Government to re-introduce the post-UTME test and exonerated the
incumbent JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, from the
cancellation of the test two sessions ago.

“It is gratifying to note that the Honourable Minister of
Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who chaired the meeting, apologised
publicly for canceling the post-UTME screening last year.

“In effect, universities are now allowed to conduct the test
using modalities approved by the Senate of each institution.

“To be fair to the incumbent Registrar of JAMB, he was not the
Registrar when the policy somersault of cancelling the post-UTME
test was made last year. As strongly canvassed by us at every
opportunity, for UI, the need to admit the best admission seekers
is the primary motivation for the test and not money, even though
we do not pretend that you can run any university so properly
called without funds.”

Speaking to one of our correspondents on Thursday, the
Vice-Chancellor, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State,
Prof. Oluyemisi Obilade, said that the onus would ultimately fall
on parents and employers of labour to decide “between a first-class
graduate of a university which takes 120 as its cut-off mark or one
that takes 180 as its cut-off mark.’’

Obilade, who said that TASUED would never go below 180, insisted
that many of the VCs at the Combined Policy Meeting during which
the 120 benchmark decision was made, said they would not go below
180.

She said, “But some universities chose 120 at the meeting. What
the JAMB has done is to transfer power back to the Senate of
universities to decide their cut-off marks. What I can tell you is
that many public universities and even private universities will
not go below 200. We were told that some universities were doing
what they called ‘under the table admission’ and then come back to
JAMB after four years for regularisation.

“TASUED will not go below 180, not under my watch. Even in the
United States, there is what we call Ivy League universities, and
there are those you can call ‘Next Level Universities.’ There are
also those that are termed community colleges. At the meeting, the
outcome is that universities have been given the freedom to decide.
It is not general legislation and it is not binding on
everybody.’’

Speaking with journalists in Ibadan, the Chairman of ASUU at the
University of Ibadan, Dr. Deji Omole, said it was the dream of the
present government to destroy education in the country.

He said, “Rather than sanctioning the identified universities
that admitted over 17,000 students illegally, the JAMB registrar
simply regularised illegality and lowered cut-off marks to favour
the interests of the friends of government who own private
universities and are hell bent on destroying public education.”

Omole said it was vital for JAMB to be scrapped in order to save
the nation’s education and its future. He said the board had
outlived its usefulness and that prospective students should apply
directly to universities of their choice for admission.

He said, “Where are the students that the JAMB registrar said
entered universities illegally? Which universities admitted them?
If 30 per cent did not take JAMB and found their way into the
university system, is that not corruption and a message that JAMB
is not significant anymore? What sanction did those who did the
illegal thing receive other than regularisation of illegality.

“We are watching because long before now we have said that JAMB
has outlived its usefulness. Let the universities set their unique
standards and those who are qualified can come in. Scoring 120 out
of 400 marks is 30 per cent. Even in those days, 40 per cent was
graded as pass. But now JAMB said with F9 which is scoring 30 per
cent you can be admitted.

“They deliberately want to destroy education. Even for
polytechnic, 100 marks is 25 per cent. It is sad. And that is where
we are in Nigeria. They want to destroy public education at all
costs. This is not setting standard for education in Nigeria. It is
purely lowering standards and digging grave for the future. This is
why ASUU is currently on the struggle to influence the government
to do the needful for education in Nigeria.”

Also, the Dean of Students Affairs, Federal University of
Technology, Akure, Prof. Kayode Alese, who spoke on behalf of FUTA
management, said that the institution would soon unveil its cut-off
mark.

“However, I can assure you that FUTA has never gone as low as
120. It has never happened and it will never happen,” he said.

Alese added, “Having spoken for the university, my personal
opinion is that the 120 cut-off mark will not add value to our
education system. The Federal Government has just increased the
pass mark from 40 to 45 in universities. What that means is that
you must score at least 45 for you to pass any course. We have
enough candidates and yes you may try to increase access but
tertiary education should be for those who have the
capability.’’

Also, the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof.
Tope Ogunmodede, said the institution would not admit any candidate
with 120 UTME score.

He said, “Traditionally, OAU has never admitted students who
scored below 200 in the UTME. For us, we are sticking to 200. The
minimum benchmark is 120 but you can go higher than that. I expect
that an institution should be able to determine the quality of its
graduates because there are internal exams. What has been done is
to provide a leeway for universities to decide their cut-off
marks.”

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students has
described the reduction of the cut-off marks for admission into
tertiary institutions as “a gross misplacement of priority and an
exercise in futility.”

The organisation said that the reduction by JAMB, from 180 for
universities and 165 polytechnics, to 120 and 100 respectively for
the 2017 UTME, would translate to a disastrous outcome in the
future.

The President of NANS, Chinonso Obasi, in a statement on
Thursday, threatened that the decision would be resisted if JAMB
refused to adhere to the status quo.

He said, “As critical stakeholders in the educational sector,
NANS will vehemently resist the review and call on government to
maintain the status quo and endeavour to conduct a comparative
study and analysis of policies from other climes that support
functional learning and production of young people that can compete
with their peers globally.

“Even with the current status, the general phenomenon is that
Nigerian graduates are not employable. The lowering of standards
will translate to a disastrous outcome in the future by churning
out young people who cannot fit into the demands and expectations
of the 21st century.’’

According to him, since the 21st century is being driven by
innovation and competitiveness, lowering the entry level into
tertiary institutions would only further contribute to reducing the
productivity and peak performance of young people seeking admission
into the country’s higher institutions of learning.

However, the Vice-Chancellor of the Christopher University, Ogun
State, Prof. Friday Ndubuisi, said the new admission benchmark
would have no negative implication on the quality of education.

He said, “This is not an imposition. The cut-off mark is a
minimum benchmark for admission. This idea of taking the UTME every
year without getting admission is worrying. About 1.6 million
candidates sat for the examination this year and about 500,000 will
be admitted mostly because of the cut-off mark. Most universities
will not go below 200, but with five credits obtained in two
sittings, a person should be qualified for admission. This is,
however, not an imposition. Universities still get to decide on
whom to admit through the post-UTME.’’