FG Gives JAMB Go Ahead to Adopt Different Cut-off Points for Tertiary Institutions

• Asks board to publish unutilised admission slots To abolish Maths, English as compulsory requirements for admission into certain courses

Paul Obi in Abuja

Following the approval by the board of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to enable tertiary educational institutions to set up different cut-off point, the federal government yesterday gave the nod for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to proceed with their own cut-off mark as against the unified 180 mark.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah, said government had thrown its weight behind JAMB’s decision to abolish the uniform cut-off marks for admission into all tertiary institutions in the country, given that the current policy lacks fairness, equity and logic.

He explained that the federal government was in full support of the decision of the board to introduce discriminatory cut-off marks for admissions into Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
The minister gave his nod after a one-day interactive forum with Chief Executives under the ministry today in Abuja.

According to Anwukah, “It does not make any sense subjecting candidates who are seeking admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to the same cut-off marks when the durations and contents of their courses are radically different.”

He informed the gathering that government had directed JAMB to consult widely with relevant stakeholders to come up with new and separate cut-off marks for university admission, polytechnics and colleges of education which will take effect in the next academic session – 2017/2018.

The minister restated that the responsibility for admission into tertiary institutions rest solely with the Senate or the Academic Boards of such institutions. In the case of universities, Anwukah said: “Senate admits, Senate graduates, full stop.”

Also, the minister has ordered JAMB to publish in full, the list of unutilised admission slots into all universities, polytechnics and colleges of education on a course-by -course basis at the end of the first leg of admission process to enable students and or parents take full advantage of existing admission vacancies in institutions where such vacancies exist.
This, according to him, “will prevent a situation where some institutions have more than the number of students they need, while others can hardly fill their quota.”

Anwukah also used the opportunity to advise parents not to keep their wards at home for the simple reason that they have not gained admission into an institution or course of their choice, explaining that it is better to have their children in school while they await admission into their school and courses of choice.

Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Folashade Esan, further tasked heads of agencies in the ministry to key into the new policies, as government remain committed to ensuring proper implementation of its agendas.

In presentation earlier at the meeting between the Minister of State for Education and Chief Executives of Agencies under the Ministry, JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Olarenwaju Oloyode informed the minister that the notion generally being held that the carriage capacity of Nigerian universities is far below the number of candidates that qualify for admission is wrong.

Oloyode said the fact that 1.5 million candidates have sat for JAMB does not translate to 1.5million qualifying for admission, explaining that only those with the requisite 180 cut-off marks can be considered for admission, adding that even out of those who make 180, a significant number may not have five credits required for varsity admission.

Oloyode decried the situation where candidates are required to produce credits in mathematics for them to be admitted to read law, English or French, describing such requirements as unnecessary bottlenecks.

The professor argued that no one needs a credit in mathematics to read law, English or French in the United Kingdom or France, where we copied our system, maintaining that what we need is to increase the carriage capacity of varsities in those courses and not to create irrelevant obstacles.

The JAMB boss said the best Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) today might not necessarily have passed mathematics; neither could the English or French professors in our varsities have had mathematics.