THE Senate had begun moves to scrap the post Unified Matriculation
Examination, UME as it yesterday mandated its committee on Tertiary
Education to meet with relevant stakeholders, especially the Joint
Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and come up with
recommendations on how to achieve the set goal.
According to the Senate, the move has become imperative because the
introduction of the post – UME examination has to a large extent
failed to remedy the problems associated with the JAMB, adding that
its continued existence has posed more challenges for the Nigeria
educational system.
The Senate has also called for the development of a strategy that
would ensure the efficiency and integrity in the conduct of JAMB
examination.
The resolutions of the Senate Tuesday followed a motion by Senator
Umaru l. Kurfi, APC, Katsina Central and entitled, "The Need to
revisit the regulatory conflict between Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board (JAMB) Universities in offering admission in
Nigeria."
In his presentation of the motion, Senator Umaru l. Kurfi said that
"The Senate: Notes that the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB)
was established in 1976 and saddled with the responsibility of
streamlining and co- ordinating admission practice as well as
determining who is admitted into universities and other tertiary
educational institutions in Nigeria;
"Further notes that that the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) is
the Federal umbrella organization which oversees the administration of
University education in Nigaria, and prior to 2005 , the truly
criteria needed for candidates seeking admission into tertiary
institutions was for such candidate to have minimum admission
requirement and possess a certain score at his or her JAMB
examination.
"Aware that the laudable objectives of JAMB began to suffer
progressive denudation shortly after its inception as some
universities admitted students outside the list sent by JAMB and
rejecting candidates with admission letters from JAMB on the ground
that they had to comply with their own internal quota and catchment
calculation, coupled with the issue of malpractices that plagued JAMB
examinations.
"Further aware as scores of successful JAMB candidates turned out ill
equipped for university education, the Federal Government, in 2005,
under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo , introduced the
policy of Post-UME screening by Universities which made it compulsory
for tertiary institutions to screen candidates after JAMB results and
before offering admission;
"Worried that while this new development was aimed at addressing the
problem of student quality, it reintroduced and entrenched many of the
problems it sought to eliminate through JAMB;
"Cognizance that while the executives introduced the Post-UME policy
as a remedy to the decay in educational standard in higher
institutions of learning, there have been public outcry of extortion
from candidates despite the rigorous test they pass through at JAMB;
"Disturbed that as the integrity of the post -UME examination is open
to question as the pecuniary motive of the respective institutions
comes so visibly to the fore that there is little pretence about
maximizing the income flows through these internal examinations;
"Regrets that the introduction of the post – UME examination has to a
large extent failed to remedy the problems associated with the JAMB
and as such, its continued existence has posed more challenges for the
Nigeria educational system."
Examination, UME as it yesterday mandated its committee on Tertiary
Education to meet with relevant stakeholders, especially the Joint
Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and come up with
recommendations on how to achieve the set goal.
According to the Senate, the move has become imperative because the
introduction of the post – UME examination has to a large extent
failed to remedy the problems associated with the JAMB, adding that
its continued existence has posed more challenges for the Nigeria
educational system.
The Senate has also called for the development of a strategy that
would ensure the efficiency and integrity in the conduct of JAMB
examination.
The resolutions of the Senate Tuesday followed a motion by Senator
Umaru l. Kurfi, APC, Katsina Central and entitled, "The Need to
revisit the regulatory conflict between Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board (JAMB) Universities in offering admission in
Nigeria."
In his presentation of the motion, Senator Umaru l. Kurfi said that
"The Senate: Notes that the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB)
was established in 1976 and saddled with the responsibility of
streamlining and co- ordinating admission practice as well as
determining who is admitted into universities and other tertiary
educational institutions in Nigeria;
"Further notes that that the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC) is
the Federal umbrella organization which oversees the administration of
University education in Nigaria, and prior to 2005 , the truly
criteria needed for candidates seeking admission into tertiary
institutions was for such candidate to have minimum admission
requirement and possess a certain score at his or her JAMB
examination.
"Aware that the laudable objectives of JAMB began to suffer
progressive denudation shortly after its inception as some
universities admitted students outside the list sent by JAMB and
rejecting candidates with admission letters from JAMB on the ground
that they had to comply with their own internal quota and catchment
calculation, coupled with the issue of malpractices that plagued JAMB
examinations.
"Further aware as scores of successful JAMB candidates turned out ill
equipped for university education, the Federal Government, in 2005,
under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo , introduced the
policy of Post-UME screening by Universities which made it compulsory
for tertiary institutions to screen candidates after JAMB results and
before offering admission;
"Worried that while this new development was aimed at addressing the
problem of student quality, it reintroduced and entrenched many of the
problems it sought to eliminate through JAMB;
"Cognizance that while the executives introduced the Post-UME policy
as a remedy to the decay in educational standard in higher
institutions of learning, there have been public outcry of extortion
from candidates despite the rigorous test they pass through at JAMB;
"Disturbed that as the integrity of the post -UME examination is open
to question as the pecuniary motive of the respective institutions
comes so visibly to the fore that there is little pretence about
maximizing the income flows through these internal examinations;
"Regrets that the introduction of the post – UME examination has to a
large extent failed to remedy the problems associated with the JAMB
and as such, its continued existence has posed more challenges for the
Nigeria educational system."