– June 9th Post Utme scrapping latest news.

– FG’s  new decision on Post utme scrapping and NUC’s update

FORMER Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, NUC,
Professor Peter Okebukola has said that Nigerian universities deviated
from the initial agreement NUC had with Vice-Chancellors in 2004 when
it introduced post-UTME to screen candidates via oral interview and
written essay.

Just as the Deputy Director, Distance Learning Centre, University of
Ibadan, UI, Professor Oyesoji Akanmi also stated that scrapping post-
UTME is against the university autonomy, saying, ‘’ The development will place admission burden on the 40 federal universities.”
Though many stakeholders who spoke with Vanguard expressed joy with
the scrapping of post-UTME, some others have reservations, adding
that it will not address the problem of admission deficit encounter
yearly.

Okebukola who was the Executive Secretary NUC when post-UTME was
introduced in 2004, said that it was a tough battle fought under the
leadership of Professor Chinwe Obaji as Minister of Education to get
approval.

While expatiating on reasons for the introduction of post-
UTME in 2014, he explained that the NUC and the vice-chancellors
discovered that more than ever before, they needed to admit into the
universities, secondary school leavers who have at least two
characteristics.
The first characteristic, he noted, is to ensure that admission seekers
attain minimum cognitive competence in the relevant subjects in the
discipline they wish to study. The second was to test their competence in
written and oral English, critical thinking and ability to present ideas in
a logical sequence befitting of undergraduates in Africa’s most-
expansive and well-regarded university system.

‘’JAMB’s UTME targets only the first characteristic; while the
university-level screening should measure the second,’’ he said.
He, however said: ‘’We got the blessing of President Olusegun Obasanjo
and the National Assembly to do the following: (a) maximum charge to
candidates for the exercise should be one thousand naira, (b) candidates
should be screened not with the kind of test used by JAMB but through
other mechanisms.

The screening, he noted was agreed upon by all vice-chancellors to be
through oral interview and essay which JAMB assessment does not
cover, adding: ‘’Up till about 2009, these guidelines were largely
followed leading us to get very good quality candidates for our
universities.’’

According to him, since 2010, both guidelines were ditched by most
universities, stressing that universities were conducting the same tests
as JAMB, charging at least five times the agreed-cost and not conducting oral interviews and essay screening. Intuitive sense The goal of the post-UTME, he explained, shifted from selection of the best candidates to using post-UTME to make money.

‘’Since universities have derailed, it makes intuitive sense to close the
post-UTME shop,’’ he added. The former Scribe expressed joy in the
scrapping of post-UTME, adding that it now takes the universities
system back to the original model of post-UME which NUC initiated in
2004 while he was serving as Executive Secretary.

Meanwhile, in his reaction, the Deputy Director, Distance Learning
Centre, Prof Oyesoji Aremu said that scrapping post-UTME would not
address the problem of access to the universities, but will rather place
admission burden on federal universities.

According to him, scrapping post-UTME would place more burden on the
40 federal universities, adding that more than 80% of candidates yearly
make federal universities like University of Ibadan, University of Lagos,
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ahmadu Bello University, University of
Benin, and University of Nigeria, Nsuka their first choice.

Quality assurance He warned that if candidates are forced on the universities,
it will make a mockery of the expected quality assurance which the
policy of Post-UTME is all about.

While lamenting the scrapping of post-UTME which he noted negates the
question of university autonomy, he explained that the Ministry of
Education through its agency, National University Commission regulates
the universities, adding, ‘’university autonomy especially in federal
Universities is a function of University Senate and each Governing
Council.

‘’Thus, determination of admission policy (including Post-UTME),
regulation of academic activities among other activities, are functions
of Universities’ Senates and not that of the Ministry of Education,’’ he
said. Prior to Post-UTME, he noted that most federal universities have
been conducting another layer of assessment of candidates in form of
interview and interaction.

This, according to him is to ensure Quality Assurance given the fact
that UTME has been compromised in terms of quality of the candidates
who seek admission.

His words: ‘’The scrapping of post-UTME would also
unsettle the candidates and their parents emotionally and in some, give
false illusion that they can get admission with 180 Cut-off Mark, a benchmark that is practically impossible given the huge number of applicants.

In proffering a solution, Aremu disclosed that the way out is for the
Ministry of Education, through NUC, to call a stakeholders meeting to
re-appraise the problem of access to admission. He said: ‘’University
admission should be deregulated.
It should be a question of quality of education provided by each
University.

Government should also re-evaluate JAMB with a view to
making the body and its evaluation interventions much more acceptable
to the end users. Open access to education through Distance Education
should also be re-invigorated and less discriminatory.”

Source;financialwatchngr.com

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