Senators defend JAMB, condemn varsities’ post-UTME test

Leke Baiyewu Members of the Senate have condemned the conduct of tests for applicants by universities after the candidates had passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board. The lawmakers, while debating a motion moved by Senator Umaru Kurfi (Katsina-Central) at the plenary on Tuesday, decried that candidates were finding it difficult to gain admission to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions but....read more

JAMB’s Mediocre Cutoff: An Unconventional View

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently reduced the cutoff for its standardized admissions test for entry into universities from the 40th percentile to the 30th percentile, and everyone is getting hot under the collar. While I share the philosophical anxieties of people who say JAMB’s reduced cutoff (which is basically a failing grade by every national educational standard) rewards mediocrity, I disagree that UTME scores are ...read more

Dirty Secrets In the Cut-Off War

At least two vice chancellors present at the Abuja meeting informed me that it was not JAMB but the administrators, comprising the vice chancellors, provosts, rectors and registrars present who lowered the cut-off points after they. ...read more

Needless Furore Over JAMB Cut-off Mark

Although 120 was agreed on, it is, however, not binding on all because each university sets its own standard and is bound by it, while JAMB has an oversight function, supervises and ensures the criteria and standards of the institutions are adhered to. The outrage that followed is an indication that most Nigerians do not read beyond the ...read more

JAMB AND THE POLITICS OF CUT-OFF MARKS

I have followed with keen interest the controversy over the announcement of cut-off marks for Nigeria’s admission processes for the 2017/2018 session, with many commentators and the general public insisting that it is unwise, insensitive and retrogressive, to reduce the cut off mark for admissions into our tertiary institutions: 120 for universities, 100 for polytechnics and monotechnics, and a tentative 110 for ...read more

THE NEEDLESS ADMISSION CUT-OFF CONTROVERSY

The recent controversy over admission cut-off to tertiary institutions in the country would have been unnecessary had the management of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board stayed off the admission process completely and concentrated on conducting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. Its business would have ended with the dissemination of the results to the admissions officers of the tertiary institutions. The Board would then have had to move on to prepare for the next round of the UTME, by working hard to ...read more

IF TOMORROW COMES TO NIGERIA

It was the largest gathering of highly educated persons I have ever attended, or heard about on the continent. The quality of the academics and the cost that would have been incurred educating them is unquantifiable. The vice chancellors, VCs of all 148 universities in the country (that is already a minimum of 148 experienced professors), the rectors of 83 ...read more

Furore Over JAMB Cut-off Mark

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) recently announced a new tertiary admission policy wherein it pegged admission cut-off mark for those who sit for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) at 120 and 100 for universities and polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education, respectively. The new policy, expectedly, has generated huge controversy, just like the ...read more

On JAMB's 120 Cutoff Mark

I am just worried by the obfuscation out there on the 120 cutoff mark recently announced by JAMB, even from quarters that should ordinarily have a better appreciation of the issues. I am compelled, in the circumstances, to share my humble thoughts on this subject in as succinctly a manner as possible, taking a queue from what I did earlier on, on another ...read more

Commendable effort – The Nation

The appointment of Professor Is-Haq Oloyede as registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), last year, appears to be yielding fruits. This year’s matriculations examination into the universities was the first he would be conducting, but he has indicated that a lot would change for the better under his watch. When he unfolded the five-point agenda on taking charge last August, very few thought much of the pledge. He said he would institute an enhanced staff welfare that would boost morale; ensure discipline with ...read more

JAMB’S 2017 UTME: an Appraisal

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination could pass for the best ever. But, like anything done by imperfect humans, there still appears to be a lot of rooms for improvement. This year’s exercise, the first under the watchful eyes of JAMB’s new Registrar, Professor Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede, took off like something destined to flop but coasted home powerfully like a seasoned sprinter, who would flutter, steadied himself and get underway to finish the 100-metre dash in a matter of seconds. In all, 1.8 million candidates participated in this year’s quest ...read more

JAMB 2017: Improving examination and logistic practice 1

I have written several examinations in my lifetime and most of them were pretty straightforward. I often can tell if I did well or not by virtue of how much I studied and what questions were presented i.e. sometimes a whole section where you did not pay attention would form the core of the exam which means you are in trouble or an area where you really sweated becomes the centre piece of the exam, then you smile brightly...read more