The National
Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has rejected the cut-off points for
admission into tertiary institutions, describing the reduction as a gross
misplacement of priority and exercise in futility.
NANS Vice
President Olamide Odumosu, spoke at a protest by the group at the Joint
Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari, on Thursday.
Odumosu said
that the reduction in the cut-off points would only lead to corruption as well
as worsen the level of academic performance of students.
He added
that NANS had supported the present administration in its fight against
corruption, but the recent development was an act of exploitation on Nigerian
students.
“JAMB in
conjunction with Vice Chancellors and Provosts is exploiting Nigerian students,
thereby reducing the level of education in the country.
“JAMB giving
us 120 as a cut-off mark for Nigeria universities is a slap to our country.”
Odumosu
added that the association would mobilise students across the 36 states,
including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to stage a protest if nothing
was done to all of their plights.
Also, Idowu
Odebunmi, National Public Relations Officer of the association, accused the
board of conniving with Vice Chancellors in bastardising the standards of
Nigerian education.
Ajayi also
said that the increment in the regularisation fees by the board from N5,000 to
N10,000 should be reviewed.
Inscriptions
like: ‘‘NANS say no to 120 cut-off marks,’ ‘say no to corruption in our
education sector,’ ‘say no to post UTME fraud,’’ were written on the placards
carried by the group.
Meanwhile,
the National President of the association, Chinonso Obasi has condemned the cut-off
marks reduction by JAMB and stakeholders.
Obasi, in a
statement, said the review from 180 for universities and 165 polytechnics, now
120 and 100, respectively was uncalled for.
According to
him, knowledge acquisition is a function of determination and hard work.
“And so, if
over the years, students were able to work hard to meet cut-off points, it
doesn’t make any logical sense to now lower the standard.”
He added
that the inability of any student to meet the cut-off points was a function of
outright indolence that should not be encouraged.
According to
him, the general phenomenon is that Nigerian graduates are not employable,
lowering of standard will translate to a disastrous outcome in the future by
churning out young people, who cannot fit into the labour demands and
expectations of the 21st century.
“Nigerian
youths are intelligent and willing to learn because of the enabling environment
provided by tertiary institutions abroad.
“The 21st
century is driven by innovation and competitiveness.
“So,
lowering the entering level into tertiary institutions will further contribute
to reducing the productivity and peak performance of young people seeking
admission into the country’s higher institutions of learning.”
He, however,
said that the challenge of the tertiary institutions in Nigeria was not in the
prospects of entering, but largely dependent on the numerous challenges within
the various institutions.
Obasi
decried the high level of inconsistencies in policy formulation and
implementation in the educational sector.
He called on
government to mainstream and benchmark global best practices in educational
policy formulation and implementation.
He said that
as critical stakeholders in the educational sector, the student body would
vehemently resist the review.
Obasi urged
government to maintain status quo and endeavour to conduct a comparative study
and analysis of policies from other climes that supports functional learning.
However, Dr
Yusuf Lawal, Director of Test Administration of the board, while addressing the
group, said JAMB was ready to look at some of the issues.
Lawal
explained that the cut-off marks were unanimously decided by stakeholders at
its policy meeting on Aug. 22 in Abuja.
He added
that JAMB would put some of the issues on a roundtable on re-engineering to
reduce some of the cost in admission fees.
“For the
cut-off point, JAMB is a clearing house for tertiary institutions. The set up
of the board is not to take over process or mandate of the tertiary
institutions.
“It was the
tertiary institutions that met and that we should not dissipate energy on
publicity, multiplicity of exam and multiplicity of admission.
“We are
already looking at how we can reduce application fee of the coming year,” he
said.
Lawal,
however, said that it was not mandatory that everybody who scored 120 would be
given admission but rather admission would be dependent on available courses in
the tertiary institutions.
JAMB had on
Aug. 22 reduced university cut-off to 120, Polytechnics and Colleges of
Education to 100 at a policy meeting with the Vice Chancellors, Rectors and
Provosts of higher institutions in the country.
NAN reports
that Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, Registrar, JAMB, had at the policy meeting of the
stakeholders of tertiary institutions in Abuja disclosed the reduction of cut
off mark to 120.
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