The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has described as unnecessary the controversies over the reduction of cut-off marks for 2017 admission exercise into tertiary institutions by stakeholders at its policy meeting.
Rather than criticisms, JAMB said Nigerians should be concerned about how to address the flight of citizens in glorified secondary schools called foreign universities in country like Ghana, Uganda, Gambia and others.
“It is expedient to state here that the worst admitted cut-off mark in a Nigerian institution is far better than allowing them to fly out to some of the institutions they are attending out there which we all know are nothing to be proud of,” JAMB said.
The organisation had repeatedly emphasised that despite the reduction of cut-off points from 180 for universities and 165 for polytechnics, to 120 and 100 respectively for the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examination (UTME), institutions were not under compulsion to accept that as their benchmarks for admission.
However, despite all the explanations, critics have continued to duel on it.
But the spokesperson of JAMB, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement issued on Sunday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, said despite the criticisms, the organisation would not lose focus.
The statement reads in part: “The much trending controversy over the just released cut off marks for 2017 admission exercise by stakeholders at the policy meeting is quite unnecessary.
“Today, we are where we are because many are afraid to say the truth for fear of being condemned rather than being celebrated and set free as commanded by the Holy Books.
“This notwithstanding, JAMB will not be deterred, we will continue to say the truth as it is and support policies that would bring our education system out of the woods.
“Today, it is a known fact that millions of Nigerians are out there schooling in mushroom institutions and they will at the end come back with all kinds of degrees and certificates that we cannot explain their content.
“Our Naira is continually devalued as a result of so many reasons, including the pressure to pay these school fees. Irrespective of this turn of events in our education history, our tertiary institutions hardly fill their available spaces otherwise known as carrying capacity.
“So, it is obvious that the quest to go abroad for foreign education is not as a result of shortage of spaces or standards given some of the institutions attended by these Nigerians but partly due to the fact that some of our policies and attitudes to national values and deep concern for realistic benchmarks for national development.
“It’s also a known fact that for you to study a course say Hausa in Nigerian universities, you will need a credit in Mathematics; however when you go outside like London, all you will need is a credit in Hausa and English, no Mathematics. Such and so many other poorly thought out policies have pushed our frustrated candidates out of Nigeria to developed and neighbouring African nations for education they could not get at home.
“The question we all should be concerned about is how to address the flight of Nigerians to glorified secondary schools called universities in Ghana, Uganda and even Gambia and others.
“How do we ensure that whatever we do has positive multiplier effects on other sectors of the economy? If we deny our candidates the opportunity to school in Nigeria, they will find their way out and in doing that deplete our economic base.
“To provide answers to all these challenges, stakeholders decided that institutions should be allowed to determine their cut-off marks according to their peculiarities and the quality and standards they want to be known for.
“It is expedient to state here that the worst admitted cut-off mark in a Nigerian institution is far better than allowing them to fly out to some of the institution they are attending out there which we all know are nothing to be proud of.
“Besides, events have shown that many institutions do not comply with cut-off marks in the past; hence the flood of requests for regularisation. Now, the new management has resolved to stop it and ensure full compliance with resolutions on cut off-marks.
“JAMB will equally ensure that it correct all anomalies existing especially as regards the powers of institutions to make pronouncements on admissions and other related matters affecting the institutions.
“The public should not forget that JAMB is a creation of the demands of the then Vice Chancellors for a central institution that will streamline the process of admission and eliminate multiplicity of entrance examination and admissions.”
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