The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Admission

  • JAMB to reduce 180 cut-off mark

    JAMB to reduce 180 cut-off mark

    There are strong indications that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) may approve the reduction of 180 cut-off mark for admission to tertiary institutions.

    The Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq  Oloyede,  who made the disclosure during the 2nd Technical Committee Meeting for 2016 Admissions to Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria,  at the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, stated that the decision became imperative as a result of the inability of some of the institutions to implement the cut-off mark.

    According to the Registrar, “it was in a meeting of the Board of higher institutions and other Stakeholders that a decision of 180 as the 2016 National cut-off mark was reached”.

    He continued that,  “however, many Institutions, though part of the decision, have expressed concern on their inability to effect this cut-off mark as they are finding it difficult to fill a reasonable percentage of their quota if the rule is strictly applied as we insist.

    “A large number of institutions, particularly the budding ones, have applied for a waiver to enable them admit candidates who in some instances scored below 180 marks.  For some, this may sound unreasonable with the largely false impression that a large percentage of those who score above 180 and are qualified for admission cannot find any placement in our institutions.

    “I think this cry needs attention, otherwise, some of these institutions whether public or privately-owned may soon begin to wobble or even close shops.  This will be counter-productive and even defeat the Government Policy of expansion of access to higher education   and manpower development”.

    Oloyede therefore added that, “as a Board, we have studied the trend of admissions and have come up with a   finding that hardly do the institutions collectively fill their quota annually.     Indeed, in some cases, up to 50% of approved quota is wasted particularly by upright institutions which do not circumspect the rule. Unfortunately, a large number of institutions flagrantly disregarded the cut-off and many other policies yet they found a way to eventually regularize the illegal admissions through corrupt process”.

    He however noted that the new flexible cut-off will only be applicable to institutions that have exhausted the list of candidates that scored the 180 cut-off mark.

    “As a Board, we have collated the requests from the various Senates and Academic Boards and have made your pleas known to appropriate authorities . Just this morning we received a green light on flexible cut-off  mark only for institutions which have exhausted the list of candidates with 180 and above,  subject , of course to a minimum acceptable to JAMB and meeting of other pre-requisite”, he added.

    He however assured that the Board would cooperate with the various institutions in carrying out the mandates of their respective Senates and Academic Boards on admission matters, adding that, “the Board would not impose candidates on them but, as a referee, would ensure that no applicant is unjustifiably denied the opportunity of access to Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.

    “In this respect, together, we should be seen in a conspicuous and proven manner that we have the interest of the Nation in mind in carrying out our statutory functions”.

    He warned that no institution, whether Federal or State, will be allowed to continue with admission of students after the November 30 deadline.

  • FG releases 2016/17 admission list for Gifted Academy, Suleja

    FG releases 2016/17 admission list for Gifted Academy, Suleja

    The Federal Government has approved the release of the admission list of successful candidates into Federal Government Academy, Suleja, Niger State for 2016/17.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said this in a statement issued by the ministry’s Deputy Director (Press) Ben Bem-Goong, in Abuja yesterday.

    The statement said that a total of 147 students have been admitted out of the 2,250 candidates who sat the examination.

    The minister said the list had been released in the college and also posted on the Federal Ministry of Education website.

    He commended the management of the academy for the impressive performance it has recorded in the past 26 years.

    “Candidates who took part in the Federal Government’s Academy entrance examination should check their names on that site as well as in Room 607 in the Department of Basic and Secondary Education.

    “The resumption date for the new students of the Academy is 8th October, 2016,” the statement said.

    The Federal Government Academy, Suleja, which was established on May 25, 1990, has maintained an average record performance of 92% in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, the statement added.

  • NUC praises admission screening at FUNAAB

    The National Universities Commission (NUC) has commended the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), for successfully carrying out the 2016/2017 Pre-Admission Screening Exercise for prospective students of the university.

    Senior Information and Monitoring Officer of NUC, Mr. Mohammed Tanko, who represented NUC at the occasion, lauded members of staff of FUNAAB and other government functionaries that actively participated in the 2016/2017 Pre-Admission Screening Exercise for a job well done in terms of logistics, welfare, thoroughness and adherence to laid down procedures.

    Tanko said his task was to monitor the screening exercise, to ensure that the university does not breach the directive of the Federal Government through the Minister of Education.

    “So far, so good, the process has been smooth. I observed that the security arrangements were properly made. The traffic and strategy that were deployed by both the internal and external security personnel, the Department of State Services (DSS) officers, which I saw on ground and men of other sister-agencies, who participated in the screening, were very much commendable. The strategy of the decentralised screening centre (as adopted by FUNAAB) was commendable, as students were well taken care of while transportation was also commendable.”

    He charged the University to keep to its admission quota. “We expect to have quality graduate output that would compete in private and public sectors within and outside the country. So, I advise that you adhere to NUC guidelines in the areas of admission quota, rules and regulations that would come from the government through the Federal Ministry of Education,” he said.

    FUNAAB Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, who is also the President, Association of African Universities, said the screening was very important to ensure that only responsible and qualified students, who would add value to the quality of the educational system, were admitted.

    Speaking on the resumption date for returning the students, the Vice-Chancellor said university Senate would announce a date once it studied the report of the committee set up to investigate the recent students’ unrest.

  • Varsity senate should set admission standard, says VC

    Vice-Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria Prof. Ibrahim Garba has said the senate of universities should set standards for admission into their institutions.

    Garba spoke while answering questions at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

    The vice-chancellor faulted the situation where the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the Ministry of Education set standards for admission into the university.

    “Universities have autonomy by law; each university should set its criteria for taking students.

    “But of course JAMB and the ministry are saying that because it is our country, we must have a policy that regulates, so that we have a good balance but not on quality.

    “A university senate is supposed to set standard for accepting students that it takes and train and graduate.

    “We are hoping that soon we will resolve this matter because it is getting more embarrassing.

    “Even the state universities have told the Federal Government that education is in the concurrent list in the constitution.

    “The Federal Government has no control and should not have control over a state university; they have a council appointed by the governor.

    “They can only fulfil NUC’s standard requirements, but not admission quota.’’

    He said the minister’s directive leading to the scrapping of the post-Unified Matriculation Examination (post-UTME) created an impasse in universities as they were yet to begin admissions.

    According to him, universities cannot take products of JAMB without further testing them.

    The vice-chancellor said universities, being the recipients of the candidates, should be able to select those they could train.

    “We found it as universities that post-UTME tests are the best to get the best.

    “JAMB is only trying to improve, but still not perfect to a point that we can trust.’’

    “Post-UTME has a history; even when it started, JAMB encouraged us to do it.

    “JAMB is improving, but it is not yet there because every year we receive these products and we see what they are,’’ he said.

    He said that in 2016, ABU had 49,000 applicants, who scored above 180 points while its admission capacity was 6,500.

  • Return to the old admission order

    Return to the old admission order

    Tertiary institutions are no longer to conduct examinations for admission seekers. They are only to screen based on merit, catchment, and educationally-less developed (ELD) areas. These were the criteria used before the introduction of the post-UTME in 2004.

    Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, last month announced the scrapping of the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). Some cheered the gesture; others jeered it. He promised to provide a guideline for tertiary institutions to follow in admitting students for the 2016/2017 academic session.

    When the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) published a point-based system for admission on its website last week, it became a subject of debate.

    The point-based system stipulated the following: Candidates could only be screened by institutions if they had a provisional admission letter from JAMB; the letter would be issued by JAMB based on points assigned to the ordinary level and UTME results of candidates; for ordinary level, one sitting attracts 10 points; two sittings, two points; the better the ordinary level results, the more the points (e.g. ;  A=6 marks, B=4 marks, C=3 marks). For UTME scores, candidates can get between 20 and 60 points (180-200=20-23 points; 200-250=24-33 points, 251-300=34-43 points, 300-400=44-60 points).

    While some stakeholders applauded the point-based system for being scientific, others argued that it would worsen the incidence of examination malpractices as candidates would do all they can to obtain good grades that would attract more points.  However, before the public could adjust to the new system, JAMB Public Relations Officer, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said the only guideline that would be employed in pre-admission screening is the one stipulated by law, which is admission on the basis of merit, catchment area, and education less-developed areas.

    But not everyone agrees that the new method, which is in fact a return to what obtained before the introduction of the post-UTME in 2004, is the best to use to admit students into tertiary institutions.

    Prof Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, who was one of those that championed the introduction of the post-UTME as vice chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said neither the point-based system nor the screening of candidates based on only the UTME could solve the problem of admission fraud.

    He told The Nation in an interview that before the post-UTME, many poor quality candidates who obtained their scores dubiously easily found their way into schools at the expense of genuine candidates.

    “This point system we have done it before and we have tried it and it is actually not giving us the result we want.  You know for us to know who really took the exam is what we are trying to do.  We have a regime before that the highest scorers get admission but we have found out that these highest scorers don’t perform to meet that standard so we said we were going to be doing screening.  Now if there is something wrong with the methodology of screening as I have always said let us change it; let us try to solicit for a system that does not look at physics, chemistry, biology, Yoruba as exams at post JAMB but to look at aptitude test and screening.  That new system is not going to cure the original problem, the original problem is people who come in with high scores but do not perform so we need to know exactly who is who,” said Ibidapo-Obe who also served as the vice chancellor, Federal University Ndifu-Alike in Ebonyi State.

    Dr Adelaja Odukoya, ASUU Chairman, UNILAG, wondered why institutions are being forced to rely solely on UTME scores particularly when there were a lot of problems with this year’s examination.

    “The universities are not subservient to JAMB and actually there were problems with the very last JAMB examination.  That is why this whole thing to me looks very ridiculous.  The worst exam ever conducted by JAMB was the very last one.  Their computer systems failed and they start awarding 40 marks to students. I know of students that had two results for the same exam.  It is in this present time that you see students and parents protesting the outcomes of the exams and yet that is what is being celebrated,” Odukoya said.

    Prof Tolu Odugbemi, also a former vice chancellor of UNILAG, questioned the change of policy without research.

    He said: “It appears that our educational policies are dictated and influenced by sentiments and emotions. It has become necessary and urgent that all hands must be on deck to ensure that government policies are based on facts and research data. Is there data or published research studies available either for or against dumping “Post-UTME” in our universities to back such important policies? It is important that institutions learn to have good record keeping for research studies that are relevant and applicable in making decisions. Our universities must have the right to admit suitable students based on relevant and objective criteria for selecting students to read in our higher institutions.

    Mr Toyin Adebule, Deputy Registrar (Information), UNILAG, said that he contributed to research that showed that admission based on the UTME alone did not produce the caliber of students ready for rigorous academic exercise.

    He said: “Speaking from my personal perspective, I conducted a research recently for my Masters programme and it was titled: “Administrative policies in Nigerian Federal universities from 2000-2010: A case study of UNILAG”. The result was alarming. We rose from graduating four First Class students in UNILAG, before the advent of post UTME to graduating up to 140 First Class by 2010. In fact, this year, UNILAG graduated 170 First Class students. Although other variables matter in helping students do well academically, ranging from teachers’ salaries, advent of the students union, among others. But this result gives credence to the fact that something somewhere is being done right since the advent of post UTME.”

    Mr Folorunsho Ogunmefun, who runs Greymatter Resource Centre, a tutorial school that helps prepare candidates for entrance examinations, said he observed that the post-UTME did improve the quality of students that got into school.

    “I remember when I was about gaining admission into the university I used to see more of club boys and girls from the bourgeois home, who are very rich at the University of Lagos. But with the advent of the post UTME, I saw a change in the quality of students being absorbed into UNILAG. Children from the proletariat homes were coming in, because it was no longer based on UTME score but their performance in post UTME. And UNILAG gained its momentum in terms of producing good students upon graduation so in my own view, if government can reverse the decision to scrap post UTME, it is another way of check-mating the injustice being done in the academic environment,” said Ogunmefun.

    The point-based system however has its advocates, who believe it is better than the post-UTME as it used to be conducted.  One of them is Prof Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), who said he likes it because it is measurable.  Though it was during his tenure that the post-UTME was introduced, Okebukola said it deviated from the original idea to screen candidates for aptitude, written and oral skills.  He recommended that institutions adopt that original template of post-UTME to admit the right quality of students.

    “We decided that when we were going to have a second level post UTME screening, it would be some kind of essay to test their written English; then interview to check their oral English; then no university should charge more than N1,000. So we started this in 2004 and I was bold enough to tell President Obasanjo that in 2009 we will start getting good graduates from our universities.

    “But new vice chancellors came and changed the thing.  They started doing the CBT again but that was not the agreement.  So when that news came that they should stop it, I was happy but it should be a temporary suspension where we get it right again.

    “Until we are able to do the other three things, assess how they speak English, their written logical expression on paper and assess their person, we will just be deceiving ourselves,” he said.

    Apart from being upset about the post-UTME ban, some academics are not happy that the pre-admission screening is to cost money after the minister warned institutions not to charge fees.

    Last week, the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) announced that pre-admission screening fees would now cost between N1,500 and N2,500 – which was contrary to the initial announcement by the minister that institutions should not charge for the screening.

    Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Abuja chapter, Dr. Ben Ugheoke blamed the Mallam Adamu, for “policy somersault” in the education sector.

    “This same people said there should be no fee; these same people have come out again now to say you can charge, this is what you should charge. I am sure that tomorrow they will wake up and say don’t charge at all or go ahead and charge whatever you want to charge provided you permit us to carry out the admissions we want.

    “This wake up and make pronouncement approach, I think it tells so much about the people handling the affairs of education in this country. I feel the handlers of education presently are not very informed about education,” he said.

    On his part, Deputy Director, Distant Learning Centre, University of Ibadan, Prof Oyesoji Aremu, lamented that within a space of one month, JAMB had “foisted two admission policies on the country.”

    “JAMB and the Ministry of Education seem not to understand what exactly they want for education in respect of candidates seeking admission.  A few weeks ago, JAMB, through the Minister of Education, ‘decreed’ that money must not be charged by universities for pre-admission exercise, while the latest development stated that universities would charge fee for screening at the end of the process of admission. What do we call that? Confusion.”

    Lecturers may complain about the implication for university autonomy, but this is of little concern to Mr. Abok Michael, Education secretary Jos North LGA who said many parents do not like the post-UTME and are relieved it is gone.

    “As a parent with two children in the university, two at the polytechnic I was becoming fed up with the post UTME problems.  Thank God that has been cancelled. The new method is like reverting to the original method through which some of went into the universities in the 70s and 80s. I am happy that our education system has reverted to the original method. Candidate will now concentrate on their WAEC or GCE,” he said.

    Muhammed Yaris, a candidate making his second attempt at the UTME this year, is also happy there would be no post-UTME again.

    “I am happy that they cancelled post UTME. The post UTME process is no longer trustworthy and it is too rigorous. From my experience last year, we were all made to wait from 6am to 7pm just to write our exam because they had a minor fault with their computers. We stood in the sun and we were not allowed to go out to meet our parents or even call them to let them know what was going on. And after all the stress, I did not get up to the cut off mark. I prefer this new method. I think more people will have better chances of getting into tertiary institutions,” he said.

    Ahmed Ojerinde however wished that the point-based system would stay.  He was sure it would work for him.

    “I prefer this point-based system, because now, I don’t have to write another exam after all the ones I have written. I have even calculated my points based on my UTME and WAEC results and I think I have a good chance of gaining admission,” he said.

     

  • Merit, catchment to determine varsities’ admission, says JAMB

    Merit, catchment to determine varsities’ admission, says JAMB

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said admission into tertiary institutions will be based on three factors: merit, catchment area and educationally disadvantaged states.

    It noted that the point system copied from its website as criteria for admission into tertiary institutions is a mere illustration.

    JAMB’s Head of Media and Information Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a statement, said the Federal Government approved the reinforcement of admission guideline as recognised by law.

    It said the point system wrongfully copied from the board’s website and circulated by some media organisations was used for illustration by the Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde.

    “Sequel to the recent workshop convened by the minister of Education on the modality for 2016 admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria, the Federal Government approved the reinforcement of admissions guideline recognised by law.

    “This is following the cancellation of the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). This is not the point system as widely circulated in some media.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the board wishes to state clearly that the point system is an illustration by the registrar of JAMB.

    “It is meant to demonstrate how a few institutions were using the point system to select candidates while some of their counterparts were subjecting candidates to written tests.

    “The illustrations are contained in a paper presented by the registrar and placed on our website and was adopted by the media wrongly as the 2016 guideline for admission,’’ the statement said.

    It said the 2016 admissions would be conducted on the three existing admission pillars of merit, catchment area and educationally disadvantaged states through the following process.

    According to the statement, a list of candidates that qualified for screening into individual institutions based on the three criteria will be presented.

    It said such screening would not demand another test – written, oral or electronic.

    Candidates are to present their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results/Advanced Level (AL) results for verification and clearing.

    It noted that WAEC, NECO and NBTE results or its equivalent are acceptable.

    The statement added: Each candidate should have a minimum five credits at SSCE, including English, Mathematics and any three relevant subjects to his or her discipline.

    It said the list of qualified candidates awaiting SSCE/AL results would be kept in view pending release of their results.

    “Any candidate that does not possess the requirements as listed above is deemed to have failed the screening.

    “Consideration of the recommended list as forward by JAMB should be completed within one month from the date of receipt of the list.

    “Any institution that has a shortfall in the admitted candidates could make up for candidates from other departments on the institution’s list.

    “Reasons for rejection of candidates on the list should be clearly stated, with proof provided alongside. This is imperative so that the public will note the correct process,’’ the statement said.

    It said the government directed that the guidelines must be strictly adhered to without any alteration.

  • JAMB releases guidelines for varsity admission

    JAMB releases guidelines for varsity admission

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Monday announced its guidelines for admission process.

    Its announcement through its website followed a week long meeting with universities and other tertiary institutions in the country.

    According to the board, the modalities would be based on point system.

    The board, which explained   how the admission process would work for JAMB candidates and direct-entry applicants, also stated that varsities would collect screening fees from candidates at the end of admission process.

    According to the board, the new method uses a point system, which is divided into other processes, that is easy to understand.

    “Before a candidate can be considered for screening, he/she must have been given provisional admission by JAMB. The JAMB admission checker portal is going to be opened soon for this process, so praying is all you can do now,” the statement on JAMB’s website said.

    The second process, the board said, was the point system where admission would depend on the point tally of the candidate.

    It said: “JAMB’s provisional admission no longer makes much sense this year, your points tally will decide your faith.

    “The points are evenly spread out between your O’level and JAMB results to provide a level playing field for all.

    “In the first case, any candidate who submits only one result which contains his/her relevant subjects already has 10 points, the exam could be NECO, WAEC, GCE etc, but any candidate who has two sittings only gets two points. So, this means that aspirants with only one result are at an advantage but only just.”

    The board explained that the next point grades fell into the O’level grades where each grade has it’s equivalent point;  A6 marks, B4 marks, C3 marks. So, the better the candidate’s grades, the better his/her  chances of securing admission this year.

    The next point is the UTME scores where each score range has its equivalent point which can be summarised thus: 180 – 200 (or 20 – 23 marks); 200 – 250 (or 24 – 33 points); 251 – 300 (or 34 – 43); 300 – 400 (or 44 – 60 points).

    Giving a breakdown, JAMB explained that each categories contains five JAMB results per point added.

    For instance, a candidate with 180 – 185 gets 20 points, a candidate with 186 – 190 gets 21 points, adding that the point system for direct entry will be released soon.

    The board stated that fees would still be charged for screening which has replaced the Post UTME.

    “It then comes down to the fact that fees will still be charged for screening, it depends on the school as well,” the statement said.

    It also disclosed that catchment and ELDS will still be used!

    “Merit contains 45 per cent of the total candidates for a particular course, catchment contains 35 per cent and ELDS and staff lists contains the rest.

    “Cut off marks will be released by schools this year in the form of points and not marks. If a school declares it’s cut-off mark for Medicine as 90 points and JAMB grants a candidate with 250 a provisional admission but his/her total points falls short of the 90 points, then he/she will lose the admission. So, the provisional admission is just a means to an end, not the end in itself,” the statement added.

    [news_box style=”2″ display=”tag” link_target=”_blank” tag=”JAMB” count=”6″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link”]

  • Kwara Poly to screen admission seekers

    Prospective students of the Kwara State Polytechnic (Kwara Poly) may still undergo the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examinations (UTME) screening, it was gathered.

    The Federal Government recently banned tertiary institutions across the country from conducting post UTME screening.

    But, the Rector of the institution and chairman of the association of Rectors of Polytechnic and Colleges of Technology in Nigeria (COHEADS), Alhaji Mas’ud Elelu, said his school would conduct  “pre-admission security and certificate verification screening” for those seeking admission into the polytechnic.

    The screening, Elelu said, is necessary to avoid admitting students with fake certificate and cutlists expelled from other schools who might want to seek admission into the institution.

    “We need to be careful in order not to admit students who had been expelled from other institutions and as well authenticate their certificates,” he said.

    Asked if the screening would be free, Elelu declared that it would have “financial some financial implication.”

    The rector added that the institution would soon begin a clamp down on operators of cyber cafés on its campus, following the arrest of one of them with the school’s forged audit stamp and document carrying forged signature.

    He said the cyber café operator was arrested following intelligence gathering from the institution’s internal security network.

    The suspect, he said had been handed over to the department of State Security Services (DSSS) for further investigation.

    Elelu warned that any staff or students found culpable in the issue would not be spared.

  • On Unilorin admission

    SIR: Whatever selection criteria used for admission of new students into any Nigerian university, merit should be given adequate consideration. This does not mean outright jettisonning of affirmative considerations such as catchment areas and gender balancing but prioritized meritocracy in the admission process.

    Recently, the Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Prof. Abdul-Ganiyu Ambali, was quoted to have said that only 7,800 out of over 65,000 candidates that participated in the post-UTME screening exercise of the institution could be admitted lamenting that its quota for the year had been reduced by JAMB. Prior, the Vice Chancellor had reportedly hinted that less than 50% of candidates (30,384) that participated in the Post UMTE computer based test scored 50% and above. In this sense, the chances that a candidate that applied to study English Language with post-UTME score of 64 in addition to over 230 score in JAMB/UTME and excellent result in WAEC/SSCE/NECO/NATEB should stand a better chance of being admitted if the information pegging down cut off mark at 50 for admission into studying English in 2015/2015 session is correct. Or how do we explain why such an applicant/candidate would not merit being seriously considered for admission?

    It is interesting to read in the media that the JAMB/NUC has increased the university admission quota from 7800 to 9000 meaning more candidates would be admitted. Therefore, I want to appeal that special consideration should be given to candidates that already passed the post UTME conducted by the university; not doing so would amount to denying some of these better qualified candidates, who more often than not come from disadvantaged background in terms of socio-economic status, access to tertiary education. Higher education should not be for the children of the elite alone. A world class university such as Unilorin must always factor meritocracy above other considerations in all its admission selection policy and process.

    Generally, our governments and management of tertiary education system in the country must invest heavily in infrastructural development in the education sector in order to increase the carrying capacity of Nigerian universities thereby expand access to university education.

     

    • Tunde Salman,

    Ilorin, Kwara State.

     

  • Frustrated

    Frustrated

    • Pathetic stories of visually-impaired applicants denied admission by UNILAG because of Maths
    • We’ve always been fair to physically challenged applicants –UNILAG
    • Controversy over ability of visually-impaired to pass Maths

    Of all the subjects that are taught from primary level to tertiary institution, Mathematics is obviously the most dreaded by students. This obviously accounts for the poor performance of candidates in the subject, especially in results released by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and National Examination Council (NECO) over the years. If this is the situation with candidates who have no problem with the sight, what would be the fate of the visually impaired candidates? INNOCENT DURU in this report digs into the challenges of the visually impaired students in studying Mathematics and the allegation of some of them that they were denied  admission by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for not having credit pass in the subject.

    Olawoyin Damilola David, a visually impaired young man, is very sad. He is sad not because he has challenges with his sight but because his ambition of acquiring university education is currently about being dashed.  Before he attempted and scored 220 in the recently released Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination, he had attempted the examination  twice without success.  In his first attempt, he scored below 200 and the second time he tried, the result was not released because “ I  registered twice- in Delta State and Lagos State. I registered in Delta but I had nobody to stay with over there, I came back to Lagos State to buy another form. When they announced that the results had been released, I checked but mine wasn’t there. That was why  my poor mother, a widow for that matter, went everywhere she could to borrow money to buy another form for me because she doesn’t want me to be a liability in the society.

    “After I succeeded in passing JAMB the third time, I was wrapped in excitement, jumped as high as I could and punched the air repeatedly in exhilaration because I thought I had surmounted the hurdle that stood between me and my dream of having university education. I applied to study Mass Communication in UNILAG and was already having a mental picture of myself broadcasting in the studio.”

    When the list of admitted applicants was released by the institution, Damilola confidently strolled to the school with the aim of seeing his name on the admission list but what he saw jolted him. His name was conspicuously missing and his sweet dream and ambition  put on the line.

    He was, however, not alone as a number of his colleagues had a similar problem.

    “When we tried to know why we were not given admission, they told us that we didn’t meet their requirement of having credit pass in Mathematics. The reason was strange to us because visually impaired students don’t write Mathematics in WAEC examination.  When I sat for WAEC IN 2012 in Ogun State, the officials specifically asked us (visually impaired) candidates not to write Mathematics. They said the results would not be released if we should do it.

    “ Actually, it is difficult if not impossible for a visually impaired  person to have credit pass in the subject.  It is questionable if any does because even for sighted students, Mathematics is a nightmare. It is visually impaired candidates that are assisted that can come out with credit pass in the subject.

    “As I am talking to you right now, my frustration level is in the danger of reading zero. As visually impaired persons trying go to higher institution, we are only trying to be relevant in the society and should be encouraged by the institution instead of all the discouragement we are getting. My pain is aggravated by the mood of my wretched mother. She was very happy when I passed JAMB hoping that her efforts had paid off. She has been very sick since I told her that I was not admitted by the school. ”

    Samuel Dabiri Oluwaseun, 23, is another visually impaired applicant that was allegedly denied admission by the institution for not having credit pass in Mathematics.

    Unlike Damilola, who has a poor widow running around for his well being, Dabiri has nobody to ask for help. He told The Nation that his parents had separated and that he lives at the mercy of kind- hearted Nigerians. “Everything about me is sponsored, including the shoes I am wearing.”

    Like Damilola, he had unsuccessfully attempted JAMB on two occasions, scoring 151 and 181 respectively. In his avowed commitment to achieve his dream of going to the university, he got help to obtain the form the third time and fortunately for him, he passed, scoring 226.

    With tears running down his eyes, Dabiri said: “After achieving my dream of passing JAMB, I became optimistic that my ambition of studying  Sociology in UNILAG was certain. My joy was further boosted when somebody volunteered to foot my bills in the university. My file has been treated and only waiting for my admission letter as a confirmation that the institution actually admitted me. Now, that help is almost slipping off my hand. One thing with people like us is that helpers don’t often come. When they come and you don’t make good use of it immediately, they may not be available again tomorrow.

    “I am shocked that the institution could for any reasons discriminate against people like us. We learnt that they admitted about 5,000 sighted candidates and admitted six out of the 27 visually impaired that applied to the institution. We even heard that some sighted applicants who scored below what we scored were admitted by the institution. Why on earth would they do that? This is injustice and there is an urgent need by the government to intervene in this matter. If every institution should be meting out the same treatment to people like us, what would be our fate? Do they want us to take to the street and start begging for alms?’’

    Dabiri’s colleague, Kalu Joseph  scored 218 in his JAMB examination and looked forward to studying Christian Religious Studies (CRS) education in UNILAG but was not admitted because he doesn’t have credit pass in Mathematics.

    “It was shocking to learn that I was denied admission because I don’t have credit pass in Mathematics. I think it is just an afterthought, and a deliberate attempt to scheme us out. The subject is not easy for the visually impaired to learn. The facilities are not there. We are aware that they have been waiving it for our colleagues over the years because they know it is a herculean task for people like us to pass it. They have brought untold sorrow to my life and aggravated my unpleasant condition as a virtually impaired person,” he said.

    Lukman Olalekan and Abiodun Lateef Alabi, from Osun and Oyo states respectively, also lamented their plight.

    Lukman said: “As a visually impaired person, I have always not supported the idea of begging for alms. This is why I am giving my all to acquire university education. Unfortunately, UNILAG is out to jeopardize my ambition and that of my colleagues. I scored 211 in JAMB and that is no mean feat for somebody without sight. My colleagues and I who scored above 200 in JAMB deserve some commendation and no condemnation because many sighted candidates didn’t score as much as that. This alone is enough for the institution to admit us without stress. If I am eventually denied the admission and not allowed to achieve my ambition, I would be forced to take to begging to survive. Right now, going to school remains my only hope of having gainful employment and not having to be a liability on anybody.”

    Lateef also expressed disappointment over the development, saying: “It is unbelievable that the institution would add another form of darkness to our condition. The government should look into this and make sure we are not denied the opportunity of  achieving our ambition in life.”

     

    Applicants with Mathematics also allege they were not admitted

    While the visually impaired applicants that were allegedly denied admission for not having credit pass in Mathematics are yet to come to terms with the fate that has befallen them, it was shocking to also find that those who had credit pass in the subject were also allegedly not given admission by the institution.

    The victims told our correspondent that the institution authorities said they were not admitted  because their subject combination in JAMB was not  correct.

    24 year-old Awiri Christian said he has credit pass in Mathematics and scored 223 in JAMB but was shocked that he was not admitted.

    “It came to me as a serious shock because I met all the requirements. Their claim that my subject combination was wrong was frivolous. I wrote English Language, Government, Literature and CRS in JAMB. I didn’t just choose those subjects because I could pass them. I carefully studied the brochure before I selected those subjects when I was filling my JAMB form. I scored 223 in JAMB. I wanted to study Political Science and I am sure that those combinations are apt for the course. Besides, we don’t just do anything without consulting with the leadership of our association, especially those in the various institutions we are applying for admission.   In fact, our colleagues who are studying the same course in the institution presently used the same subject combination to gain admission into the school.”

    Like others, Christian had sat for JAMB on two occasions without making success out of them.

    “ My frustration is that this is the first time I have passed JAMB in the last three years. In my first attempt, my results were not fully released making me to score below 200. They released three out of four subjects and after waiting to see if they would release the last one, they eventually removed the previously released result and wrote ‘absent’ there.

    “If I didn’t give up at that point and through dint of hard work and God’s favour I succeeded in my third attempt, why would the institution deny me admission for no genuine reasons?  If I end up not being admitted  with my score in JAMB, it means I would go back to  square one. I would have to go back to writing JAMB all over and now that my morale is abysmally low, how would I concentrate and pass? If I pass again, how am I sure I would get admission? The treatment is unfair,” he stated in emotion laden voice.

    Mustafa Yusuf Olagoke also has credit pass in Mathematics but allegedly not also admitted by the institution.

    “I have credit pass in Mathematics and also scored 230 in JAMB. With the results, I was convinced that I would get admission into the school to study Political Science  All the excuses that some people don’t have credit pass in Mathematics and that some of us did the wrong subject combinations are cooked up. This was not the practice in the institution over the years that we have been following the admission process.

    “I have broken every barrier in my determination to acquire higher education  but the UNILAG authorities have placed artificial barrier on my path. It is unfortunate. I did the right subject combinations. Our association in the institution even called to discuss the appropriate subject combinations with us before we filled the forms.

    “Before now, the immediate past admission officer, late Mrs Adare, would make sure that every visually impaired applicant that scored above 200 was given admission. What she was always doing was to invite the candidates to verify their results and confirm that they are actually visually impaired. Once she did that, the applicants would be taken.”

    Narrating the effect of the development on him, Mustafa said: “ I have been  feeling terribly bad since I got this information. I am a music lover and supposed to be playing my musical instruments before I was asked to come and talk to you but I was in my room crying and wondering what would become of my life if  I eventually don’t get this admission. My parents are equally traumatized because their joy of living to see me acquire university education is under serious threat.

    “Christian and I went to secondary school using the scholarship provided for us by people who appreciated our love for music.  After we finished secondary school, we had nowhere to go again. Fortunately for us, mummy (the proprietress of Bethesda Home for the Blind) picked us up and has been taking care of us since them.”

    In a chat with The Nation, the proprietress of the vocational centre, Mrs Chioma Ohakwe, said: “ Denying the applicants admission by the university is a painful. It is difficult for the visually impaired to write Mathematics. Nigeria does not have the technology that can enable them to  learn and perform well in Mathematics.  Before now, visually impaired persons could not operate computer  but with the development of a software called Job Access With Speech (JAWS), they can now do that.  The software reads out everything on the computer for them.

    “For the past three years,  they have been admitting our students, they always waived Mathematics for them because they know what it entails. Eight of our students that applied to University of Nigeria, Nsukka and three others that applied to Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) have been admitted. They saw their conditions and showed compassion to them by waiving Mathematics.

    ‘’The issue of subject combinations is also out of it. The management of the institution should do something about this because most of these children are orphans. They depend on kind-hearted people to sponsor them. If the opportunity is lost, they may have to wait for a very long time before they would get another.’’

     

    Why many visually impaired shun Mathematics

    Findings  revealed that most visually impaired students who attend public schools across the country don’t get good attention from Mathematics teachers. State-owned schools are said to be highly culpable in this regard as they lack the basic facilities and resource persons needed to impact knowledge of  Mathematics into the students.

    Reliving his experience with Mathematics in public school, Dabiri said: “I didn’t do Mathematics in my Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) because all through the years I spent in school, the Mathematics teachers saw us as a surplus to the class. They would come to the class, go straight to the board and start writing. After writing, they would ask the class to look up and briefly explain what they must have written.

    “Thereafter, they would ask if we understood. The sighted ones would say yes sir, while we would keep quiet.  When I saw that it was beyond me to go along with the subject, I decided to focus my attention on other subjects. Most public schools don’t have any facility and human resources to help visually impaired to learn Mathematics. For good part of my days in the secondary school, we didn’t have Mathematics teachers.”

    Kalu on his part said: “I didn’t bother to sit for Mathematics examination when I  did my SSCE because I didn’t do it in secondary school. I had my secondary school in a public school in Abia State and I must say that the attitude of the Mathematics teachers were not helpful. I was only listening to what they were teaching without understanding what was being taught.  Mathematics is a practical subject and there was no way I could have understood it by just listening to the teacher teach me the subject like somebody telling a story.’’

    Mustafa told our correspondent that he wouldn’t have made credit pass in mathematics if he did not leave a state-owned school for a federal government one. He said: “ I went to a public school for my junior secondary education. There, the Mathematics teachers never bothered about us -the visually impaired. They were teaching the class as if we were all sighted.  This made me to leave the school for a federal government secondary school. In the federal government schools, the Mathematics teachers gave good attention to the visually impaired. They have provided us with Braille, Maths frame board and other basic tools that aided our learning.

    “The challenge we had to deal with was with construction. It is impossible for a visually impaired  person to do construction. We always leave out construction questions in WAEC examinations. All we do is to indicate that we are visually impaired.

     

    Controversy over ability of visually impaired to get credit pass in examination

    Controversy has, however, trailed the ability of the visually impaired to pass Mathematics at credit level.

    An educationist, who simply identified himself as Dr Ben, said it is practically impossible for them to pass Mathematics. He insisted that any visually impaired person that passes the subject must have been assisted to do so.

    “Let us face the reality, it is impossible for visually impaired persons to get credit pass in Mathematics. Where is the basic tool they need to attempt the examination?  These people respond to things they could hear or touch. To start with,  they need a talking scientific calculator to solve a number of the questions. This is not anywhere around their reach. They have no tool to draw and identify shapes. So tell me how they end up passing.

    “We, as a country do not yet have what it takes to impact Mathematical knowledge to the bind.  The teachers do not also have the capacity to teach these children effectively. They are only trying but their efforts in all honesty is not enough. The implication here is that when such students who claimed to have passed Mathematics get to higher institution, they would not be exempted from taking courses related to the subject because they have proven that they know it. this can lead to rustication.”

    Mr Olufemi, a visually impaired ICT expert, also shared Dr Ben’s line of thought. He said: “ Visually impaired cannot pass Mathematics because we lack the equipment and human resources to do that. It is only when all these are put in place that visually impaired persons can attempt to do well in Mathematics. I even had a friend who because he came from a rich home had all the necessary tools but when he sat for WAEC, the best he could get was ordinary pass.  Visually impaired persons who score credit pass in the subject must have been assisted.”

    Abiodun, a  Mathematics teacher  in one of the federal government secondary schools in Lagos State, however, says it is not impossible for visually impaired to pass Mathematics at credit level.

    “It is not impossible. The only challenge here in our school is that the visually impaired have been merged with the sighted. This makes it difficult if not impossible to give the necessary attention to the visually  impaired.  In the past, we had special classes for visually impaired and had all the time in this world to come to their level. One could sit beside them and explain things one after the other. When you teach, they would be using their Braille to write.

    “When they want to write the answers for you to mark, they would type everything out in words. They have no ability to work out the calculations. They only can use their computer to type everything out in words. Their challenge is in the area of drawing tables and curves. This is pretty difficult for now.’’

    Reacting to the controversy, Mrs Jean Obi, the leader of Nigerwives and former test developer for WAEC, said it is difficult for visually impaired to pass Mathematics but not impossible.

    “ The problem is mainly in the area of drawing diagrams and calculations. Fortunately we have produced a drawing board called tactile. It makes it possible for a teacher to draw a diagram and make the visually impaired students feel what it looks like. When this is done, they would have a mental picture of what such a diagram looks like and can draw it later on their own.  We have sent about 50 of  these boards to our organization in Abuja.

    “In the area of calculation, the problem is that they would need talking scientific calculators. This is very expensive. We are still looking at how we can get them cheaper for students in the country. you can scribble and do calculations for sighted students but you can’t do that for the visually impaired.”

    Sharing her experience from an international workshop she attended in Campala, Mrs Obi said: “ During the workshop, we the participants exchanged ideas about the challenges involved in teaching Mathematics to the visually impaired.  Participants from Kenya made us to understand that visually impaired students were used to not taking Mathematics lessons. But in the last four to five years,  their government said every student in the country must be given equal opportunity in the area of education.  They provided the necessary tools and an enabling environment and made it compulsory for every visually impaired student o take the subject. We can also do the same here in Nigeria with the support of the government, the teachers, students and other stakeholders.

    “The workshops we have also done across the country show that a good number of the teachers are not competent to teach these children. You can’t teach what you don’t have. Another challenge is that the number of students in most classes are too large. There are about 60 to 70 in some classes. This makes it impossible for a teacher to  teach effectively. I must give kudos to the Lagos State government for their efforts in  giving quality education to the visually impaired. They really stand out. we would want other states to emulate them.

    UNILAG reacts

    The authorities of UNILAG have, however, denied the allegations levelled against them by the applicants.

    The Deputy Registrar Information, Mr Oke Olagoke, said: “ We admit based on the vacancies we have. At present, we have 32, 00 applicants out of which only 4, 800 would be admitted. We always admit everybody that meets our requirements and those of JAMB. Besides, we have a policy to always encourage physically challenged that meet our requirements. We give specific assistance to them in the areas of accommodation and Braille writing.”

    On the allegation of scheming out the candidates on the ground of wrong subject combinations, he said: “ Whatever we are doing is in consonance with JAMB brochure. A candidate needs to study the brochure very well and not assume that what university A accepts would be accepted by B.  I will advise that such candidates bring their documents for us to verify their claims.”

     

    Private  school owners versus  WAEC

    In another development, some private school operators have accused WAEC of not always bringing examination papers for visually impaired during public examinations. This lends credence to Damilola’s claim that he and his colleagues were not allowed to sit for Mathematics by the officials when he sat for SSCE, although he said that he wrote the  examination in a public school.

    “WAEC doesn’t bring question papers for visually impaired students that write exams in our school. Anyday the students are to write Mathematics in WAEC exams, visually impaired students don’t come because there is a precedent by the examination body that it is not meant for them. For us, it is quite understandable because of their condition,”  Mrs Abu, a  school proprietor, said.

    Reacting to the allegation, Mr Demianus Ojijeogu, the Public Affairs Officer of WAEC, said: “ It is not true that we don’t supply materials for visually impaired candidates to write Mathematics in our exams. We have a special unit that caters for all the needs of disable candidates. Over the years, we observed that blind candidates don’t offer Mathematics and they don’t do science practicals in the WASSCE. This was out of their own choice and not because provisions were not made for them by us.

    ”But this year, a total of 199 visually impaired candidates sat for Mathematics and a certain percentage scored credit pass. We make Braille available for them and during exams, if sighted candidates are given one hour, they would be given extra 30 minutes or more. We also make provisions for albinos too. We have factored all this into our preparations for the exams. We don’t leave anything to chance. We treat them specially.’’