The Federal Government has
revealed that only 20 per cent of the candidates sitting the 2024 Unified
Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) might be offered admission into
universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
The government is also contemplating
a review of the current age requirement for entry into tertiary institutions in
the country, which is likely to be pegged at 18 years.
Minister of Education, Prof.
Tahir Mamman made the disclosures on Monday in Abuja while monitoring the ongoing
Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), alongside the Registrar of
the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede.
More than 1.9 million
candidates registered to participate in the examination that commenced on 19th
April and is expected to end on 29th April 2024.
Mamman expressed concerns about
about some parents who exert unnecessary pressure on their children, warning
them against pushing the children and wards “too much,” to allow them to attain
some level of maturity to be able to better manage their affairs.
There have been concerns about
the carrying capacity of the existing public tertiary institutions while
private institutions always find it difficult to fill their admission quotas
because of high tuition fees.
Mamman, while commenting on the
high number of candidates seeking admission into the limited slots available in
tertiary institutions, said skills acquisition remains a critical component in
preparing the youths for a brighter future.
“It is not a question of being
employed but how many will be admitted from this set. I think the figure
overall on average is about 20 per cent; universities, polytechnics and
colleges of education.
“The question you ask is where
are the 80 percent? They are our children, our wards living with us. This is
why the issue of skills acquisition is terribly important because any student
who is not being able to proceed to tertiary education, should be able to have
a meaningful life even after secondary school, even primary education actually.
“The only solution to that is
skills; by taking skills right from the time they entered school, for the
primary right through the educational trajectory. Somebody should finish with
one skill or another. That is part of the assumption of the 6-3-3-4.
“It is assumed that by the time
a student finishes up to the JSS level, he will have acquired some skills. If
he does not proceed to the senior secondary level, he will have acquired some
skills that will help him navigate life and cease to be a burden on his parents
and society.
“That’s why this skill is just
the most important skill for us now that we are going to drive through the
education sector for both public and private sector to empower the young ones.”
Speaking on the age requirement
for intake into tertiary institutions, he said: “The other thing which we
notice is the age of those who have applied to go to the university. Some of
them are really too young. We are going to look at it because they are too
young to understand what a university education is all about.
“That’s the stage when students
migrate from a controlled environment where they are in charge of their own
affairs. So if they are too young, they won’t be able to manage properly. That
accounts for some of the problems we are seeing in the universities.
“We are going to look at that.
18 is the entry age for university but you will see students, 15, and 16, going
to the examination. It is not good for us. Parents should be encouraged not to
push their wards, or children too much.”
The Minister commended the
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for a seamless examination
process, noting that the adoption of technology had helped in reducing the cases
of examination practices.
“Right from screening to those
who are here, the examination process is seamless. The environment is
comfortable for students. That’s how it should be, especially the use of
technology in our affairs and the educational system. It makes life easy for
everybody and seamless.
“As we know this examination is
going on throughout the country. It is being monitored everywhere seamlessly
and from the report I have heard, the malpractice level is very low. Just a 100
out of the 1.2m. It has gone down drastically and I believe that it is the use
of technology that has made that happen so this is very good.”
Minister of State for
Education, Dr Tanko Sununu, who was excited the UTME was also ongoing in Saudi
Arabia as a result of the standards set by JAMB’s management, noted that the
examination has transcended to a very high level of objectivity and reliability
of results.
“Right from when the candidates
arrive, they would be seated comfortably in the waiting room, screening and
other necessary instructions will be given and they will proceed to do
biometrics.
“There are some instructions
that will be pushed that even if you are just coming into contact with a
computer for the first time, provided you have been using the handset or smartphone
that will properly guide you to have access.
“One of the major things I see
here, which is a major characteristic of online exams, is the speed. The speed
in the centre is really excellent; pages are turned as at when candidates need
them without any delay of booting.
“Also in the exam, there are
lots of steps to prevent examination malpractice, candidates that are adjacent
will be taking different subjects and even when you are answering the same
questions, question number one will be different from question number two from
the next person.
“The standard of the
examination is commendable. I am not surprised that JAMB has to go outside
Nigeria to go to other countries to conduct exams, they were in Saudi Arabia
and right now the exam is also going (on) in Saudi Arabia.
“I have not heard people
complaining of answers leaked, it shows that with online exams we can do a
lot.”
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