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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has lashed out at the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for acting beyond its powers by releasing admission guidelines for Nigerian Universities.
The union stated that it is the mandate of the Senate of Nigerian universities through the autonomy to regulate admission modalities and determine what best suits the vision of each institution.
The University of Ibadan branch of the union stated this while reacting to the 2016 admission guidelines recently released by JAMB.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Dr Deji Omole, ASUU noted that both the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, and JAMB Registrar Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, seem confused and inconsistent by first going against collection of administrative charges under Post-UTME by universities, but now preaching payment of screening fees in “its illegal guidelines which is designed to favour the children of the rich against the poor”.
Ojerinde and Adamu, according to Omole, seem unaware of happenings in Nigeria universities saying that the newly released point – based scoring system is not new as it was innovated and used at the University of Ibadan for five years and abandoned stressing hat the institution has moved beyond such model of admitting students.
The ASUU boss added that the question of admission is not about the introduction of screening charges, noting that the union would resist any attempt to trample upon university autonomy and the supremacy of the Senate of universities to regulate its admission.
While alleging that the ‘illegal guidelines’ will shortchange the children of the poor who cannot ‘purchase’ awarded scores from JAMB as against the children of the high and mighty, Omole further faulted the jettisoning of double sittings (at WAEC) and awaiting results candidates who he said will be shortchanged if the muddled-up illegal guideline is allowed.
“JAMB is acting beyond its mandate which is to conduct and release results. The Senate of universities has the right to determine the model or guideline to adopt to admit their students from the pool of candidates sent to it by JAMB. Each university has standards which are not subjected to the whims and caprices of any government appointee. JAMB does not have the powers to tell universities how to conduct their screening. It is a way to cover up their inadequacies because JAMB’s credibility as an examination body is yearly being queried. JAMB and its handlers are confused. Last year, they arbitrarily placed students in private universities to satisfy the needs of their cronies. These were mainly children of the poor who had not chosen those institutions. In the just concluded JAMB examinations, they awarded candidates with extra 40 marks without any justification. Now, those with two sittings results will be shortchanged and those awaiting results will be disadvantaged. There will be rise in result racketeering at WAEC again as people will be purchasing grade ‘A’ since that is what will guarantee admission. More miracle examination centers will spring up and JAMB and the Minister would have succeeded in entrenching corruption and further kill university education in Nigeria. ASUU stands by university autonomy. JAMB cannot determine admission guidelines for universities, rather JAMB must be overhauled to make their results believable and trusted.” the statement said.
JAMB had on Monday announced its guidelines for admission process.
The announcement through its website followed a weeklong 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 coolect 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.
Guidelne details at a glance
1. Candidates can no longer go directly to the institutions they applied to seeking admission; they have to get a provisional admission letter from JAMB first.
2. Admission letter would be issued by JAMB based on points assigned to the O Level and UTME results
3. For O Level, one sitting attracts 10 points, while two sittings, is assigned two points
4. The better the O Level results, the more the points (e.g. ; A=6 marks, B=4 marks, C=3 marks)
5. 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)
6. Pont-based system for Direct Entry candidates still being developed
7. Yes, candidates will still be screened by universities, polytechnics and colleges of education after getting a provisional admission letter from JAMB
8. And, yes, candidates will pay for the screening
9. Cut-off marks to be stipulated by institutions for courses would be point-based”