JAMB 120 Cut-off Mark; The Inside Story

The far-flung headline that JAMB had lowered the university cut-off mark to 120 – and that other tertiary institutions had followed suit – was produced by the vice chancellors and co. and shamefully promoted by the press.

The inside story is far less flattering, about ten days ago, JAMB convoked a stakeholders meeting in Abuja to hash out the process for the 2017 admissions into universities.

All that the Board was required to do back then was to conduct examinations and release the results to the universities.

 The 13 vice chancellors that played a major role in founding JAMB did so because they needed a clearing house to prevent duplication, which had become a serious problem.

It made sense, but as time went on, the JAMB tail began to ‘’move from side to side the universities and the Abuja meeting ten days ago was supposed to be yet another moment for the play.

But JAMB Registrar and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Ishaq Oloyede, appears to have excepted, advocating for something different.

Instead of JAMB to carryout its self-appointed role of fixing cut-off marks, they suggested that the Vice Chancellors, Provosts and Rectors present should take the lead, but warned that, this time, the schools would be bound strictly by whatever they submitted.

A cybernated Central Admissions Processing System was also going to be installed to create a more transparent process.

Even in the past when JAMB took on the absolute role of fixing cut-off marks, the universities still set their own cut-off marks and admitted whomever they wanted.

Under an implausibly fraudulent system known as discretionary admission, the universities could admit candidates far below any advertised cut-off mark.

The acceptation often included candidates without even the basic credit passes.

Such backdoor candidates were then allowed to “standardize” their results before graduation then a reconciliatory list entitled “Late Application by Institution” is sent to JAMB for "regularization" yearly.

Almost all the universities are involved in this fraud, which shuts the door against hundreds of thousands of qualified candidates.

In 2016, for instance, six of the country’s top universities presented a backdoor list of 385 students from those who scored below the cut-off to those who didn’t even take any entrance examination – to JAMB for “regularization.”

Ahmadu Bello University topped the list with 246 students; University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 52; Obafemi Awolowo University, 33; University of Benin, 28; University of Lagos, 14; and University of Ibadan, 12.

It was worse in the polytechnics, where four notable institutions admitted 3,489 students through the backdoor.

Kaduna Polytechnic admitted 985 students by just winking at them; Yaba Polytechnic, once the pride of the nation, trucked in 930; Ibadan Polytechnic ferried in 903; and Delta State Polytechnic, Ozoro, bussed in 671 misfits.

Why are we bursting over cut-off point? High or low, the schools have honed how to get around it and the only reason for so much noise this time is that they know that their days are numbered.

At least two vice chancellors present at the Abuja meeting disclosed it was not JAMB but the administrators comprising the Vice Chancellors, Provosts, Rectors and Registrars present who lowered the cut-off points after they were informed, among other things, that the “Late Application by Institution" list will no longer apply.

If JAMB desires to be taken seriously, it should immediately publish the list of all cut off points submitted by the schools and also advise them to publish the names of students admitted and their scores on their websites that way every candidate becomes a monitor and a potential whistle blower.

An open review grading system by an independent private sector group could also help shed light on the education market, and over time, moderate demand and supply.

However, the cut-off point is a symptom of the malaise in our higher schools.

Certainly, there are very few countries like Nigeria where former heads of state, their deputies and former senior government officials own and operate some of the best private schools, set up with the funds raked in from the ruins of public schools.

When public officials began to sabotage the public school system only to set up their own schools after leaving office, it was clear we were heading for trouble.

But that’s not the end of it. After the peal between the organizations and governments at the state and federal levels left schools in the lower rung severely damaged, universities, especially, became the new nannies.

Whereas the number of students applying to higher education across the UK, for example, has fallen with more and more opting out to explore the world after functional, basic education, the yearly university rush in 

Nigeria can only accommodate less than 25 percent of the ever increasing applicants.

The system is broken. With the lower levels bereft of a modicum of functional education and technical and vocational colleges a shadow of themselves, only universities appear good enough to quench the incredible appetite for worthless certificates.

Alas, the universities cannot cope with the influx, and standards have gone down, so to have the scores and cut-off points regardless of what is advertised.

Sure, there are a few universities struggling against the odds but they are overwhelmed by mediocrity among even their own staff and faculty.

Were these fellows to be tested, they might even score lower than the backdoor candidates we’re concerned about.

The controversy about cut-off points and the threat to go to war over scores miss the point our school system is broken and in need of urgent repairs.