In June last year, the Education Minister, Malam Adamu Adamu, barred tertiary institutions from conducting Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) screening, saying a second examination was unnecessary after the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). He was also averse to the added financial burden on candidates and their parents to register for the examinations by various schools.
However, in August, the minister reversed the decision during the Combined Policy Meetings on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria held in Abuja.
Describing the proscription last year as a mistake, he gave institutions the freedom to screen candidates as they deemed fit, but urged them not to charge above N2,000 for the exercise.
“We have asked them not to impose huge financial burden on the parents. The burden should not be more than what they can bear,” Adamu was reported to have said.
Since then, universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and others have announced their post-UTME screening procedures and calendars to the students.
A check by The Nation has, however, revealed that the N2,000 benchmark was hardly complied with by any institution. While many of them stipulated N2,000 as the official fee, other levies, like bank charges, past questions, access to portal and service charges by operators of cyber cafés, who help candidates to do the online registration, increased the amount candidates have to pay to, in some cases, three times the official fee.
In Edo State, the screening by the University of Benin (UNIBEN), the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma and the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi costs as much as N5,000.
At some cyber cafes in Benin City, some candidates who spoke to our reporter said they had spent about N5,000 on the registration even though their preferred institution charged N2,000 official rate.
UNIBEN Public Relations Officer Mr. Michael Osasuyi, said the cost of the post-UTME included N2,000 for the screening, N1,500 for past question papers, and N1,500 for owners of the internet portal through which the registration is done. This is beside the bank charge of N1,000. However, a candidate in Lagos confirmed that in all he paid N6,000.
But Osasuyi denied this, claiming that the university did not charge N6,000 as alleged by some candidates for the screening which will take place between today and October 10.
At AAU, the university spokesman, Mr. Edward Aihevba, said all the charges amounted to N4,500, including bank charges.
He insisted that the university did not increase the charge but complied with the Federal Government’s directive.
At the Auchi Polytechnic, candidates paid up to N4,000 and above.
The institution’s spokesman, Musa Oshiobugie, said he was not aware of other charges aside the official N2000.
At the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), the screening for National Diploma (ND) full-time and B.Sc in Technical Education programmes was N2,000 but with extra expenses.
In a circular on the institution’s website, the Registrar, Mrs. Biekoroma Amapakabo, said: “Applicants are to pay a fee of N2000 excluding result verification fee, and candidates are expected to upload their photograph”.
However, at the cyber cafés where the candidates register, they are informed of a directive, which requires them to pay N1,700 for verification of their O’Level results – if they are submitting just one set; and N3,000, if the result is for two sittings.
The total cost to a candidate with one sitting is N5,000 – N1,300 being the service charge of cyber cafés. Candidates with two sittings’results pay N6,000.
It was, however, learnt that the institution would conduct no tests but screen the results of the candidates.
For the prospective students, what matters is getting admitted – though the cost is high.
One of them, who did not give her name, said: “I am surprised at the amount but the registration process is not slow like the UTME registration, and I pray I get admission into the school”.
Another student said: “It is expensive but if I gain admission, I will forget about the payment. The registration process is normal, no much stress as long as you has your money.”
Candidates sitting for the post-UTME at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), between October 4 and 6, spent a little less than their YABATECH counterparts. After the official fee of N2,000 and additional N400 for bank charges, cyber cafes charged between N1,100 and N1,600 for their services.
A candidate, Omolara Adeoye, said she spent N4,000 “for everything”.
In Lagos State, candidates who chose the Lagos State University (LASU) paid N5,000 – the same amount paid last year, when post-UTME was proscribed. The university organised an internal Computer-Based Test (CBT) that cost N5,000 then.
In Benue State, the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (UAM) and the Benue State University Makurdi ( BSU) charged N2,500.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of BSU, Mr. Tse Vanger, said the N500 extra was bank handling charges. The UAM gave the same explanation.
However, a candidate for BSU, Erdoo Malu, complained that apart from additional charges, accessing the BSU portal was difficult because of slow internet.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE), Ondo, Mrs. O.Olatuyi said the college strictly followed the mandatory screening fee of N2,000 per candidate without charging any extra cost.
The Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) spokesperson, Sola Imoru, also said the institution did not charge more than N2,000.
He, however, stressed that the service providers and bank officials could also charge on their own, but not under the authority of the university.
The Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu conducted its post UMTE test last week, after the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) called off its nationwide strike.
A lecturer from the Faculty of Humanities, who pleaded anonymity, said “unnecessary” fees were added to the N2,000 that brought the total to N5,000 (including bank charges of N350).
However, he added that it was the Senate that decided the amount that was charged.
The Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti charged candidates N3,500.
A prospective student, Tosin Adewole, told our reporter the amount was inclusive of charges described as “administrative fee.”
Admission seekers at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) are expected to pay higher to realise their dream of entering the institution.
FUOYE spokesman Mr. Godfrey Bakji, disclosed that the institution takes N5,000 as its post-UTME fee while candidates sort out bank charges.
Candidates who applied to the University of Abuja (UniAbuja) paid N2,000. However, an official of the institution, who pleaded anonymity, said they would not be writing any tests but would have their results screened for admission.
“We have not gone beyond the N2,000 that the minister said the screening should be conducted for. Candidates will not write another examination. Everything is done online. Candidates are supposed to submit their best five Ordinary Level (O’ Level) results for consideration.
“The O’Level results will be calculated along with your score in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME). The university has pegged its JAMB score at 70 per cent while the O’ Level will be graded at 30 per cent.
“Candidates who meet the requirements of the departments they put in for will be considered on their average score for admission. The screening is on already. It was advertised in some national newspaper.”
A candidate who applied to study Theatre and Performing Art, said apart from N2,000 he paid N1,000 for registration.
Tosin, as he called himself, said: “I paid N2,000 for the screening. The bank collected N10 as extra charges.
“The registration was okay. Everything was good. I paid N1,000 to the cyber café operator for the registration. The money was for the form printed for me.”
The University of Calabar (UNICAL) conformed with the N2,000 for its aptitude test. Candidates paid an extra N1000 to agents that helped them register.
However, their counterparts at the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) have been told to pay an additional N3,000 as portal access fee before the October 5 deadline for registration.
Applicants seeking to get into the Federal University, Lokoja (FUL) also paid N5,000 through the bank for the same purpose as those at CRUTECH – N2,000 for screening and N3,000 to access the university’s portal.
Aside this, one of the prospective students at FUL, who gave her name as Toriola, said she also paid N1,000 to secure her original JAMB result slip and N100 for the printout.
The Sokoto State University, Sokoto is the only institution, among others, in the state whose post-UTME form is out. Prof Muhammad Zaiyan Umar, Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC), Academic, of the university said the candidates were not paying extra.
Yet to roll out their forms are: The Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, The Polytechnic Sokoto, and Shehu Shagari College of Education (SSCOE), Sokoto.
“We are in compliance with the cost directive and candidates have been having it smooth to access our portal. Delay will never come from us except the banks. No fewer than 1,800 candidates completed the process as at Wednesday evening.
However, Musa Abubakar who is participating in the exercise told The Nation that there was more.
“We are aware of the N2,000 cost pegged by Federal Government The bank charges and Remita cost of N500 were excluded,” he said.
Institutions in Kano charged between N300 and N500 above the official amount.
When our reporter visited the institutions, the management declined to speak on the rationale behind the extra charges, but some staff members, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the extra charges covered bank and administrative charges.
For instance, Bayero University, Kano (BUK) charged N2,500 flat rate; the state-owned North-West University charged N2,300; while the Kano State University of Science and Technology(KUST), Wudil also charged N2500.
Many of the candidates described the charges as outrageous but said the registration was without hitches.