Varsity admissions: JAMB offers succour to students with cut-off issues

*Professor Ojerinde blames consultants for protests Nigeria's Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said that it was set to re-distribute candidates with cut-off marks less than what universities of their first choice require to other institutions that have places for them. Dr Fabian Benjamin, Head Media and Publicity of the board told newsmen in Lagos today that the recent admission policy witnessed at the University of Lagos was aimed at ensuring that Nigerian universities admit only the top-best as was done globally. [caption id="attachment_26774" align="alignnone" width="640"] Professor Dibu Ojerinde of JAMB[/caption] Candidates and their parents had on Wednesday, July 22, staged a peaceful protest at the University of Lagos gate over the high cut-off marks for 2015/2016 post-UTME screening. By the policy, UNILAG reportedly rejected 59,000 candidates. ``Sequel to this development, the board has redistributed the other candidates with cut-off marks less than what their first choice required to needy institutions. The board, equally, urges candidates and their parents to check its website from Friday, July 31, 2015 for their names and institutions they are placed in,’’ the statement said. According to the statement, universities are centres of excellence anywhere in the world and that of Nigeria should not be an exception. It said that JAMB was working round the clock to ensure that Nigerian universities were among the best in Africa and perhaps the world in the next ranking. The statement explained that the board was also cautious about utilizing the available spaces in admitting more candidates bearing in mind the admission criteria of various needy institutions. ``The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reiterated that the national cut-off marks of 180 for universities. ``We also have 150 for Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Innovative Enterprise institutions in the 2015 UTME as a bench mark to set the tone for 2015 admission exercise. ``The decision to have a national accepted cut-off mark at the policy meeting was to serve as a guide and pruning mechanism. ``It will also give the tertiary institutions qualitative and manageable candidates to choose from a pool of candidates desirous of tertiary education. ``However, universities and other levels of tertiary institutions are at liberty to go higher, but not lower, depending on their peculiarities and the performance of candidates that choose them,’’ it explained. The statement added that the board wished to state that no candidate would be denied any right to aspire to tertiary education. According to the statement, the board is equally aware that some universities have their own admission cut-off marks acceptable by the board for the various courses they offered. ``Please be informed that the board will always ensure that these institutions apply this cut-off marks uniformly across all candidates without discrimination. ``The decision of the board on the print-out for this year exercise was done in good faith and not to jeopardize the right of candidates due to individual cut-off set by some Nigerian tertiary institutions. `` Those candidates who do not meet the cut-off marks of such institutions will be placed in needy institutions within their geo-political zone depending on available spaces in such institutions. ``The board's aim is to accommodate as many candidates as possible instead of just pushing them to schools we know abinitio does not have the carrying capacity to admit all,’’ the statement said The statement wondered that if UNILAG; with a carrying capacity of about 9,000 candidates has over 60,000 applying to it , what happens to the over 50,000 others? It said that in such occasion, the board would ensure that there was balance by ensuring that those remaining candidates who were not too fortunate to meet the cut-off marks were also placed in other needy institutions. According to the statement, candidates are to note that the policy is only meant to ensure that every candidate with a reasonable score of 180 and above is placed somewhere. It added that Nigerians were also urged to believe in the board as it continually strives to give the entire education system the best. `` We are not comfortable with the large number of candidates that sits for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), year in year out without gaining admission. `` It is the belief of the board that this policy will address the shortfall and accommodate more,” the statement said. In another development, The Registrar/Chief Executive of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, has reacted to the protest at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) by parents and candidates who could not access the university’s admission, noting that the policy introduced by JAMB, for which he has been criticised, “is actually meant to help the candidates not only to get admission but to get it on time.” Ojerinde explained that the decision to re-allocate candidates who cannot be admitted into their choice institutions because of the high cut-off marks set by the institutions for the various courses, to other federal, states and private institutions in that order, depending on the availability of spaces; choice of the course of the candidate; geographical zone of the candidates’ first choice and the performance of the candidates, was to help the candidates and reduce the numbers of qualified candidates who miss out on admissions yearly due to limited spaces. He noted that JAMB had made the situation clear to the institutions during its policy meeting on July 14, after it held discussions with the representatives of the federal, state and private universities where the degree of the problems of candidates were presented and solutions proffered. “By this approach, wastage of high scores will be reduced, the fate of the candidates will be determined on time and yet the interest of their areas of study may be satisfied,” Ojerinde stated. He said the decision became imperative because “the big universities are overloaded” while others have spaces that are not filled. “Can you imagine 8,000 students seeking admission to study law in a university that will take only 250 candidates for law? The remaining 7,750 candidates will wait endlessly and hopelessly till the end of the admission. Or imagine 7,500 candidates seeking admission to study medicine in a university. Of these 7,500 candidates, 2,000 scored above 250 in the UTME. The university has a carrying capacity of only 150 candidates for medicine. The remaining 7,350 who scored above 200 will be wasted. Particularly, 1,750 candidates who scored above 250 will be wasted while other universities either do not have enough candidates or high scoring candidates.” Professor Ojerinde said JAMB had discovered that courses like Biological Sciences, Pharmacy, Agricultural Engineering and related courses are, in most cases, without enough candidates in the universities, while contrastingly there is a rush for a course like medicine. “We are saying; let’s give them a feel of chance somewhere else that has not gotten enough candidates for law or medicine by sending the names of these high scorers to “needy” universities. In addition, the concept of selection by merit, catchment area and educationally less developed states will be adequately catered for. “However, I am not saying that everyone will get admission or even get their original choice of course of study. But it is better than wasting the time, finances, and good scores of these candidates. We need to fill the available spaces as given to us by the regulatory bodies such as the National Universities Commission (NUC); National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE). But if a candidate does not want the given opportunity, he can decline the offer and just refuse to take any step.” Ojerinde indicted some so-called educational consultants who have hidden agenda, which are being thwarted by JAMB’s proactive steps, as being behind the protests, warning that: “This is a period of CHANGE. If they do not CHANGE, they will be CHANGED.”