The last may not have been heard about this year’s 2016/2017 admission process as confusion has continued to trail it. For the past three months, the process of admission into universities and other tertiary institutions of learning has been a burning issue of national discourse.
Recently, the Director of Information, Dr Ben Gyong issued a statement on behalf of the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, insisting that only the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board( JAMB) could admit candidates eligible for screening by the universities of their first choice.
The JAMB, on the other hand, has maintained, while debunking media report on its alleged point system admission guidelines, that the 2016 admissions would be conducted purely on the three existing admission pillars of merit, catchment area and educationally less developed states.
Part of the statement signed by the JAMB’s Head of Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin reads: “For the avoidance of doubt, the Board wishes to state clearly that the point system is an illustration by the Registrar of JAMB of a few institutions that were using the point system to select candidates while their colleagues were subjecting candidates to written test.”
According to Benjamin, these examples are contained in a paper presented by the Registrar, which is placed on JAMB’s website and was adopted by the media wrongly as the 2016 guideline.
He further explained in the statement: “First, presentation of the list of candidates who qualify for screening into individual institution based on the three stipulated criteria mentioned above. This screening should not demand for another test in any form either written, oral or electronic.
“Candidates are to present their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) results/Advanced Level (AL) results for verification and clearing purposes. WAEC, NECO and NBTE results or equivalent are acceptable as matriculation requirements”.
According to the Head of Information, each candidate is expected to have a minimum of five (5) credits at SSCE including English, mathematics and any other three (3) relevant subjects to his or her discipline.
He said, “The list of qualified candidates awaiting SSCE/AL results can be kept in view (K.I.V) pending the release of their results. Any candidate who does not posses the requirements as listed above is deemed to have failed the screening.
“Consideration of the recommended list as forward by JAMB should be completed within one Month from the date of receipt of the list. Any institution that has a shortfall in the admitted candidates can make-up for candidates from other departments on the institutions list.
“Reasons for rejection of candidates on the list should be clearly stated with proofs provided alongside. This is imperative so that the general public will note the correct process”.
Benjamin said government has directed that these guidelines should be strictly adhered to without any alterations.
However, while federal government, has categorically banned the Post- Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), and the attendant fees by universities, the screening method adopted by universities is still mired in confusion.
The ban of Post-UTME is a policy that Nigerians across all walks of life welcomed with great relief.
For example, in the name of admitting outstanding students, the universities used to embark on post-UTME through which schools’ management charge as high as N10,000, N8,000, N7,500, with the least being N5,000 per candidate while at the end of the day, about five percent of applicants are offered admission.
In the bid to generate internal revenue, management of universities across the country have devised various means in the name of fees or levies which they impose on the students.
The Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State is not left out of the imposition of such levies but the Students Union has remained proactive in rejecting such levies and in most cases, such rejection has led to demonstrations and subsequent closure of the institution at various occasions.
Although JAMB has rolled out admission criterion to be used following the ban on the conduct of post-UTME by tertiary institutions across the country, but the crisis currently rocking the university is preventing the management from coming out with a policy statement on the abolished exercise and the criterion to be adopted in the selection of eligible candidates for admission for the 2016/2017 academic session.
It was gathered that the university charge as much as N10,000 as convocation fee while graduating students are on the lookout for what it would cost them now.
The proactive stance of the student union of the institution has made it impossible for the management to impose frivolous levies in the institution.
But it is having adverse effect on the university’s calendar as fresh students for the 2015/2016 academic session resumed few weeks ago only to be asked to vacate campus following an indefinite closure of the university.
Speaking to our correspondent in Jos on the ban of post UTME, the Principal, Senior Assistant Registrar Information and Publication, University of Jos, Abdullahi Abdullahi said the university will not go contrary to the federal government’s directive.
He said, “Based on the federal government’s directive that banned post- UTME screening, the institution has no alternative rather than to comply with the directive. We are not going to conduct post UTME screening neither are we going to charge fees on it,’ he said.
Nonetheless, apart from the normal school fees, LEADERSHIP gathered that the University of Jos charges as high as N25, 000 and N45, 000 for acceptance fees.
Students of the university who for one thing or the other could not afford to pay their school fees were sent out of exams hall and were allegedly labeled as students who participated in the demonstration against hike in school fees in 2014.
One of the affected students, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said he was suspended from the school for three semesters and was told to pay all charges and school fees of the three semesters despite his suspension from the school.
Reacting to the development, the Principal, Senior Assistant Registrar, Information and Publication, University of Jos, Abdullahi Abdullahi said there was nothing like school fees but school charges.
Contrarily, some students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, (FUTA), told our correspondent that there was no hidden charges in terms of their tuition fees in the institution .
Some of them who do not want their names mentioned informed LEADERSHIP that the institution’s management has blocked every means of additional charges but condemned in its totality, the introduction of the ‘Admission Screening Fee of N2,500’ by the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Education.
According to some of the students, the ban on Post-UTME was a policy that endeared the federal government to the hearts of Nigerian masses.
They said, “It is surprising, appalling, anti-masses, and unethical for the federal government, to bow to the pressure from the head of tertiary institutions by introducing the Post-UTME Screening Fee.
“It is tantamount to the FG being insensitive to the growing economic meltdown being experienced by the parents and guardians of these prospective students all over the country.
“Then one begins to wonder, where is the consistency in the policy formulation of the APC-led FG?”, they wailed.
They are also of the view that the introduction of the Post-UTME Screening Fee in the institution is another way of extorting and exploiting potential candidates, adding, “it is another dubious and cunning avenue of enriching management of the institution while fleecing indigent students and parents.”
However, while most federal universities like the University of Jos, University of Lagos, University of Benin, maintained that they would not go contrary to the federal government’s directive on post-UTME charges, many state universities are already fixing charges.
LEADERSHIP findings have revealed that many state universities are already fixing sundry fees for screening. For instance, a memo obtained from Yobe State University, fixed N2,000 for screening.
Part of the memo which was signed by the registrar of the institution, Alh Garba Ahmadu, read, “The management of Yobe State University Damaturu wishes to inform all applicants who choose the institution as their 1st choice and scored 180 and above that the screening exercise for UTME 2016/2017 academic session has been scheduled from 18th to 22nd July 8, 2016.
“Eligible applicants are requested to buy online scratch card at the cost of N2, 000 obtainable at UBA Damaturu Branch (Account Number 1006400111) and should come along with their originals and photocopies of documents to their various department of their choices for the exercise.”
The memo added that only screened applicants will be considered for admission.
Leadership findings have revealed that apart from those who still go for post UTME and those who have introduced various charges with various names, some charge graduating students for what has been done to them at the point of entrance before being allowed to register for a course.
An instance is Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who charge graduating students N4,500 as “Verification Fee”, purportedly to verify a graduating student’s JAMB, WAEC and other results.
The same ABU Zaria still charge N5,000 per Law School bound Law graduate for “conveyance” of completed Law School Admission Forms paid the student at N25,000.
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