How To Address Admission Hitches In Tertiary Education By Stella Eze Of www.leadership.ng

The manner in which the nation’s tertiary institutions conduct admission for new entrants is marred with irregularities. The situation is not getting any better and those seeking admission are the worst for it. However, at the second combined policy meeting of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the federal government warned that it would no longer condone what it described as a random admission pattern, reports STELLA EZE.

Last week, the federal government read the riot act to heads of institutions in the nation’s tertiary education sub-sector. The minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, at the second combined policy meeting of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Abuja, appeared perturbed by the staggered and disorganised manner of admission procedures in the various tertiary institutions across the country.

The meeting, convened by JAMB, brought together all the stakeholders to rub minds together for the possibility of having a smooth admission process for the 2011 academic session. It was also at the meeting that the gathering took a decision on the benchmark for the cut-off point in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which was conducted on June 18, 2011. The cut-off point for universities was pegged at 180, while polytechnics, colleges of education and monotechnics were to have a cut-off point of 160. The cut-off point has never been a big issue in the admission process, since individual institutions choose their own cut-off points at the end of the day.
The major issue troubling the minds of officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, is the staggered admission process, which in 2010 had set the JAMB and the affected universities at loggerheads. The federal government, however, intervened, giving a period of grace to institutions that were barred by JAMB from going on with any admission matters for the 2010 academic year. One could rightly say it was not the fault of these institutions, mainly of the Southeastern region, due to the prolonged strike embarked upon by the lecturers on account of failed promises by the state governments.
Apart from this scenario, the tertiary education system is swimming in a serious admissions scam, which the federal government has said it is not ready to entertain any longer.
Speaking at the policy meeting, Prof. Rufa’i noted that managements of various institutions have taken the law into their own hands by handling admission procedures with ulterior motives. She went on to send a strong signal to universities’ authorities that the federal government would no longer tolerate what it described as random admissions, as well as late submission of the lists of admitted candidates.
She said, “I wish to remind all institutions on adherence to the admissions timetable as prepared by the JAMB. Last year, this was seriously abused, as many institutions were still making submissions to the board up to May 2011. May I remind all institutions to follow the guidelines with regard to issues like the criteria of merit, quota, educationally less developed states, catchment area and the 60:40 science/arts ratio. To this end, the decisions you take and the discretion you exercise in the course of this meeting will be critical, as these will go a long way in the realisation of our nation’s aspirations and the current administration’s goal of delivery on the social contract, as well as being among the top twenty economies in the world by the year 2020.”
This is not the first time the minister is issuing this warning to the authorities concerned. For instance, in the maiden policy meeting of JAMB, Prof. Rufa’i had reminded those present that admission guidelines must be followed to the letter. But the words seem to have fallen on deaf ears, as heads of institutions continue to carry on the business of admission as usual. One university was said to have submitted its admissions list for the 2010 academic session just last May, far behind others.
Almost all the institutions release admission lists in batches, which could stretch into two or three months. While the first batch of students would have started to receive lectures and probably prepare for exams, others supposed to be in the same class would still be milling around campuses, trying to secure admission at all cost. Some unfortunate students have fallen victim of admissions fraudsters, who collect huge amounts of money, but provide them with fake admission letters. The porous admissions process makes it possible for touts to operate freely without fear of being caught.
For instance, the admissions crisis currently rocking the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) is the outcome of a system where the management deliberately allows touts to penetrate and dupe students. In most cases, the arrangement is organised with insiders who know the pros and cons and are very efficient at manipulating the admission lists before and after their release. Post UTME screening introduced to further screen candidates is also being abused in the admissions process, as many candidates interested in securing admission are invited to take part in the exam, but only a handful of them are picked.
Apart from the admission done through JAMB, institutions have an internal means of getting students through remedial courses, which is more or less an assurance that after one year of intensive lectures, the candidates would naturally be lined up for admission.
This scenario is very common in many polytechnics and universities. Students who passed through the remedial school are usually ready candidates for admission. This often leads to a population explosion on campuses, as institutions are forced to admit more than their carrying capacities.
Though the minister of Education has been nicknamed ‘Mama Access’, she was quick to remind them that they must adhere to their carrying capacities, as stipulated by the National Universities Commission. “We must not forget the carrying capacity of our institutions as pronounced by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE),” she said.
This is another attempt at curtailing the excesses and fraudulent admissions process in the nation’s tertiary institutions. But the system must provide adequate measures to monitor and apprehend culprits in the various admission crises, which have put a lot of pressure on the available facilities. For instance, a student of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, told LEADERSHIP Education that the management of the institution has been forced to divide the classes and fix classes in the mornings, afternoons and evenings, just to accommodate the surge. “And when the NUC is coming for accreditation, they will declare a two-day break for us, so that we would not be around for the officials to see how many we really are. Some of my classmates got admission after we had been matriculated and a good number of them just joined us a few days to the first semester exams.”
No doubt, the meeting convened by JAMB was to resolve and fashion out a modus operandi for admitting suitably qualified candidates into the tertiary institutions of their choice. But the minister reminded them stakeholders present that, “Governance comprises the institutions, processes and traditions which determine not only how power is exercised, but also how decisions are taken and how citizens have their say. At this juncture, I urge you to implement the admissions guidelines without fear or favour. I must make a passionate plea to all stakeholder institutions to submit their lists of recommended candidates for admission to the JAMB in time. Late submissions, as experienced last academic session, engender hitches in the admissions process and create a lot of problems on the part of the candidates. This practice of late submission shall no longer be tolerated. It is our collective responsibility to adhere to our decisions taken here,” the minister said.