The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Admission

  • Ezekwesili faults 120 cut-off mark for University admission

    Ezekwesili faults 120 cut-off mark for University admission

    Former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili has said that decision of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to reduce the cut off mark for admission into Nigerian universities to 120 was like running a race from top to bottom. 

    According to her, the exam body has outlived the purpose for which it was established.

    Ezekwesili told newsmen in Abuja on Saturday that rather than conduct entrance examination for university admission, JAMB should only be made to play a regulatory role while universities are granted autonomy to conduct their own entrance examinations and determine the quality of students they want to admit and set their own standards.

    While noting that the 120 cut off mark set by JAMB is not ceiling, she stressed that the question to be asked should be whether the floor of 120 is sufficient to give a university the right raw materials to train in other to make them world class human capital. 

    “I will say no and there has to be much more intensity in determining hat the qualification attribute should be and once we do that, it will set us way back to early child education,” she said,  adding that “When I see society screening about this cut off mark they have done, I say you are wasting tears on a symptom. “

    “You need to go to the root of the problem and that means we need to go back to the first phase in education which is early child care, basic education and secondary education which ultimately determine the readiness of our children to university education.”

    She explained that the idea of establishing JAMB was that in a federal system, the government wanted to find a means of equalizing standard and to ensure that you set the bar in a way that brings in everybody. 

    According to her, “What you then have to look at is, does it continue to be relevant as a standard setting mechanism to actually determine who gets to what university and how? I would say not anymore.”

  • Admission: Federal University Gusau sets 170 as cut-off marks

    Admission: Federal University Gusau sets 170 as cut-off marks

    The Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) has announced 170 as minimum mark for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) cut-off marks for admission into the University for the 2017/2018 academic session.

    The Information Officer of the University, Malam Umar Usman disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Saturday.

    Usman said that the university management had arrived at the decision to set 170 as minimum cut-off marks after getting statistics on the candidates who applied for admission into the institution.

    The Information Officer added that the 170 was arrived at after getting a statistic that most of the candidates who applied for admission into the University scored 120 and above in their JAMB exams.

    He said the university was only given a quota to admit 1,500 students through JAMB and Direct Entry for the coming academic session.

    According to him, over 5,000 applicants applied for admission into the University.

    “If we will stick to the 120 minimum cut off marks given by the JAMB, majority of applicants who are going to attend the University’s aptitude test for the admission will not get it.

    “We decided to minimize the difficulty by raising our points to 170 so that most of those that will pay for post UTME in the university will get the admission,” he said.

    He noted that the University also run Pre-degree programme in Science, Art and Social Science based courses which would also be considered in the admission to make up the 1, 500 required students for the session.

    Usman said the university is soliciting more assistance from well-to-do individuals and private organisations to provide more infrastructure that would make JAMB increase the quota given to the institution.

    He said that for the admission quota to be increased there must be adequate structures and facilities in place.

    NAN reports that JAMB had on Tuesday announced 120 as cut-off marks for admission into Nigerian Universities for the 2017/2018 session while 100 marks was for Colleges of Education and Polytechnics. (NAN)

  • Mix reactions greet JAMB cut-off mark

    Mixed reactions have greeted the new cut off mark for university admission by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) fixed at 120 score.
    The board also pegged entry qualifications benchmark into polytechnics, colleges of education and monotechnics at 100. But candidates seeking degree admission into the colleges of education must equally possess 120 like that of the universities.
    An admission seeker, Toluwase Olayiwola who sat for the last JAMB exam hailed the decision saying ” it would give more students the opportunity to be able to gain admission into different institutions.”
    ” People are not going to schools again just to get certificates but just to get experience because the educational sector is nothing to write home about,” she said.
    Another prospective  university student, Joseph Mary, said she was happy with the cut off mark but noted that some  federal universities would not comply with it.
    “The likes of University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Lagos will not,” she stated adding that the best thing JAMB can do is to make sure all federal universities comply with the pegged cut off mark.
    Michael Anthony in an interview with The Nation however faulted the decision noting that  “it is dullards that will gain admission into the institutions?
    “The cut off mark is too low. How on earth will JAMB announce a cut off mark like that. I wonder how the screening will be.
    “The Joint Admission Matriculation Board is giving all dick, Tom and harry access  into the University and this will increase the crime rate some tertiary institutions. It will cause overcrowding in the university. Even the university does not have what it takes to accommodate large number of students,”  he said.

  • Landmark Varsity begins admission screening

    Landmark University at Omu-Aran in  Kwara State has begtun this year’s admission screening.

    The screening, which started last Saturday as Landmark University Scholastic Aptitude Screening (LUSAS), will hold on all Saturdays in June.

    Vice Chancellor Prof Aize Obayan was excited about the impressive turnout.

    Addressing parents during a reception in their honour, Obayan said the screening was meant to identify the competency of prospective students who would be offered admission on merit.

    The vice chancellor, who warned that Landmark has zero tolerance for unethical practices, added that the institution offers undergraduates life-applicable education that will give parents good  returns on investments in their chirldren.

    She said: “Here, we assure that values for the money invested on education are guaranteed through specialised education system committed to students’ intellectual and spiritual advancement, uninterrupted academic calendar, world-class teaching and research facilities, as well as a friendly mode of payment of tuition, which is effected in four installments, among others.”

    Many of the excited parents hoped their wards would make it to the institution.

    A parent, Mrs Mute Olori, from Abuja, said: “I am not disappointed to bring my child here today. What I saw on the web is not just photographs but real.

    ”Locating Landmark University off the noise, the hustle and bustle of the city is quite commendable,” said another parent, Mrs N. Nwanchukwu.

    “This will allow students to concentrate on their studies. In fact, I am astounded by the beautiful landscape and the spacious environment.”

  • 10,592 candidates battle admission into 15 model schools

    About 10,592 pupils in public and private primary schools in Lagos State yesterday sat for Paper and Pencil Test (PPA) screening examination into its 15 Junior Model Colleges/ upgraded schools.

    The pupils were spread across 39 designated areas in the state.

    They were tested on Mathematics, English Language, Verbal Learning and General Science.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Adeshina Odeyemi who monitored the examination in five education districts, said he was satisfied with conduct of the exams.

    He assured those who performed excellently well will get admitted while those who underperformed will have a second chance to sit for the Placement Test this year into 679 public secondary schools.

    The Director State Examination Board, Olufemi Hassan assured parents of the government ability to ensure a free and reliable examination.

     

  • JAMB scores self high on conduct of 2017 admission

    JAMB scores self high on conduct of 2017 admission

    •Board records 1.7m UTME candidates

    The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has scored itself high in the conduct of 2017 admission exercise in spite of the condemnation of the exercise by candidates, parents and other stakeholders.

    The board said the record of the 2017 admission exercise set the pace for greater success in the future.

    It urged Nigerians to have confidence in JAMB and similar government agencies.

    A statement issued by the board’s Head Media and Publicity Dr. Fabian Benjamin after an emergency meeting in Jos, the Plateau state capital yesterday, noted some challenges JAMB faced in the 2017 exercise.

    “JAMB has concluded the sales of 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) application document in grand style, recording over 1.7 million candidates at the close of the site by 12 midnight on Friday May 5, 2017.

    “The board urges Nigerians to have trust in its processes as they are meant to enhance productivity, eliminate examination malpractice and promote transparency to an unprecedented level.”

  • Regularise admission with JAMB, students told

    The Registrar of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida (BIDA POLY) in Niger State, Mallam Mohammed Baba Ndana, has appealed to graduating students to regularise their admissions with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

    Ndana said the appeal was necessary to enable students who did not write Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) normalise their admissions with JAMB ahead of their graduation, saying the exercise would afford the polytechnic an opportunity for proper documentation. Any student who failed to do so before the final examination, the registrar said, would not be allowed to graduate.

    He stressed that the law setting up JAMB gave the body responsibility to conduct admission for tertiary institutions, adding that students who did not have their documents regularised with JAMB would not go for National Youth Service.

    He advised students to comply with the regularisation requirement, adding that the school would give them opportunity to comply before graduation.

    A Higher National Diploma (HND) II Mass Communication student, Comfort Waziri, said since the regularisation was mandatory for all students without JAMB admission, she said ND II students should take the advantage before using their diploma certificate for Direct Entry into the university.

    Mary Achogu, ND II Business Administration and Management student, said: “It is good the announcement came this period when we have enough time to do it. Many students may not want to go through the stress of applying for regularisation at the JAMB office. With the penalty for not doing it, students should do it on time to avoid unnecessary delay.”

  • JAMB scraps use of awaiting results for admission

    JAMB scraps use of awaiting results for admission

    Candidates waiting for their O’level results will no longer be offered or recommended for admission by any institution effective from this year (2017), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said.

    The board also said it has concluded all restructuring and reforms and is now ready to begin sales of its application document in March.

    The organization in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by its Head of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, said the restructuring is to expand the opportunities available to candidates as almost all the public universities do not consider candidates on the second choice list because they hardly exhaust their first choice.

    JAMB said it took the decision because it found out that many institutions had offered candidates admission in the past on merit only for them to discover that such candidates do not have qualified O’level results for the admission and had to delete and start the process all over again.

    The organization said it would ensure that no candidate is recommended for admission without his/her O’levels result being supplied.

    To achieve this, JAMB said it would insist that candidates supply their result on its website during registration or later, but before admissions commences for them to be considered for admissions.

    This, the board said, would allow only qualified candidates to be considered for admissions.

    The statement said: “The summary is that no candidate will be admitted with awaiting result.

    In the cause of conducting admission exercise, many institutions have admitted candidates on merit only for them to discover that such candidates do not have qualified O’levels results or the right combination for admission and had to delete and start the process all over again. With this, they would have denied other qualified candidates the opportunities for admissions.

    “This we are addressing by ensuring that no candidate is henceforth recommended without his O’levels result being supplied. To achieve this, JAMB will insist that candidates supply their result on its website during registration or later, but before admissions commences for them to be considered for admissions. We believe this will allow only qualified candidates to be considered for admissions.

    “Because we need a different and progressive result that will position Nigerian educational system in an enviable height in the comity of nations, then we must do things differently. The Board is poised to see that a reasonable percentage of candidates who take this examination and are qualified find placement in tertiary institutions.

    “Candidates and their parents are also to note that the Board has restructured the registration platform to allow for only one choice of Public University. The new registration platform will now be first choice, second choice, third choice and fourth choice and not most preferred, preferred etc as it was.

    “Candidates’ first choice can be a College, University, Innovative Enterprises Institutions or Polytechnic/Monotechnic. However, if a candidate makes a Public University his first choice, he will not have any public University to choose for 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice. He will have on the remaining three choices, a College, a Polytechnic, Private University and IEI’S. However, candidates for the 2017 UTME can now select NCE (College) or ND (Polytechnic/Monotechnic) as their 1st choice up to 3rd choice and the 4th IEI. They can select the IEI (Innovative Enterprise Institution, ND) as their 1st choice up to the 4th choice, but can only pick a public university once.”

    The board said it had designed a Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) where it would interface with institutions and ensure they complied with the reform.

    “We sincerely appreciate the patience exhibited by Nigerians in allowing us take time to add value to the services we have been offering to Nigerians for over three decades.

    “We have designed a Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS) where the Board will interface with the institutions and ensure the compliance of this reform.

    “The registration of UTME this year will go side by side with the  Direct Entry and during registration, candidates 10 fingers are to be captured using Biometric Verification Machine (BVN).

    “Again, we want to inform candidates that no cyber café will be registering candidates for our examination. On no account should any candidate patronize any cybercafé for our registration. It is important to note that the Board will not deploy the use of any scratch card for the 2017 UTME registration exercise,” the statement added.

  • No interest in farming, no varsity admission, says minister

    No interest in farming, no varsity admission, says minister

    The Federal Government has banned students without interest in farming from gaining admission into its Universities of Agriculture.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh, made this known at a stakeholders meeting with registrars and pro-Chancellors of the universities in Abuja.

    He said the decision was aimed at repositioning the institutions to involve youths in agriculture, and train them to solve the multi-faceted problems in the sector.

    The Minister, who expressed regrets that non-agriculture-based courses, such as engineering, were being taught in the schools, warning that the only agriculture-related disciplines be taught.

    Ogbeh said the Federal Government’s decision to relocate its three Universities of Agriculture from the Federal Ministry of Education to Agriculture, was to refocus the insitutions as globally-acclaimed citadels to move the sector forward.

    He assured the universities that the government would support them by providing funds and grants to assist in research.

    “The domiciliation of the universities in this ministry is a commendable effort by the Federal Government based on sound reasoning and logic.

    “Your return will effectively help us to reposition the three universities of agriculture as centres of excellence for the rapid development of the agric sector.

    “There is no place where the competence and capacity to drive agriculture resides outside the Universities of Agriculture. We need to achieve a hunger-free Nigeria.

    “Henceforth, students who are not interested in becoming farmers should be made to seek admission elsewhere,’’ Ogbeh said.

    He assured that the government would support students in researching for their self-actualisation.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Agricultural Production and Services, Mr. Mohammed Munguno, advocated a bill to establish the National Universities Agricultural Commission to regulate operations of the Universities of Agriculture.

    He said the National Assembly would amend their rules to ensure that the universities were domiciled in the ministry.

    “There is need either through an executive bill or a bill to be sponsored by the House and Senate Committees on Agriculture for the establishment of the National Universities of Agricultural Commission.

    “It will be charged with regulating the universities of agriculture to effectively perform their statutory roles in tandem with the laws establishing them,’’ Munguno said.

    The Pro-Chancellor of the Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia, Prof. Anya O. Anya, lauded the government for the relocation.

    Anya, who raised concern over the disconnect with the science and practice of agriculture in the country, expressed the hope that the assigning of the universities to the ministry would boost their effectiveness.

  • Group accuses Northern Federal varsities of denying Christians admission

    The Fellowship of Church of Christ Nigeria (TEKAN) has alleged that Federal-owned tertiary institutions in the north are denying Christian children admission into certain courses.

    The Christian group with headquarters in Jos, the Plateau State capital, raised the alarm at its 62nd General Assembly held at the  church’s headquarters in Jos.

    TEKAN is made up of 15 denominational churches in the North.

    In an 11-point communiqué issued at the end of the five-day conference, the group said: “The assembly wish to express great concern about admission into higher federal tertiary educational institutions in the north, which are denying Christian children placements into some professional courses, such as Law, Medicine, Engineering, Architecture and Pharmacy.

    “We consider such act as an abuse of constitutional rights of the Christian children and whoever that is responsible for such should desist.”

    The group faulted Prof Ishaq Oloyede’s appointment as JAMB Registrar and the alleged ban on the teaching of Christian Religious Knowledge in public schools.

    The statement reads: “The assembly also condemned the appointment of Prof Ishaq Oloyede, the General Secretary of Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, as the Executive Secretary of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in view of his track record at the University of Ilorin.

    “The assembly also expressed great concern over the prohibition of the teaching of Christian Religious Knowledge in government schools in Nigeria. We condemn such prohibition because we consider it as an abuse of religious freedom in the country.”

    The Christian group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the issue of discrimination against Christians in the north.