The House of Representatives was yesterday, divided over the motion to
stop the conduct of examinations of post Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Joint Admission Matriculation
Board (JAMB) in the country’s higher institutions.
In a motion moved by Rep. Ademorin Kuye (APC-Lagos), during the
plenary session, the lawmakers debated for and against the
requirements of the motion.
Kuye, in the motion, had asked the house to urge all higher
institutions to stop the post UTME/JAMB screening examinations.
He also sought the house to mandate the Committee on Tertiary
Education and Services to call for a joint meeting of the Ministry of
Education, JAMB and the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The mandate was to develop an acceptable standard of JAMB examinations
in conformity with the requirements of academic institutions in the
country.
The lawmaker said that JAMB which was established in 1978 was saddled
with the responsibility of conducting matriculation examinations for
entry into tertiary institutions.
He argued that Nigerians paid monies to purchase the JAMB/UTME forms
to qualify them to write the examinations to gain admission into
higher institutions of their choice.
“This is after payments and undergoing rigorous registration and
examination processes, the said higher Institutions subject students
to another internal examination/test called POST UTME/JAMB on payment
of yet another fee without any consideration for indigent parents and
students,” he said.
He said that the payment of fees for the screening exercise conducted
by the institutions was “not backed by any law and the proceeds
therefore are not accounted.
“This leaves room for manipulation and exploitation and lack of
acceptability of the fund generated.”
Supporting the motion, Rep. Benjami Chinedu Obidigwe (APGA-Anambra),
said that the post UTME examinations conducted by the universities was
just to “expolit our children.
“Our education in the country has resolved to some form of extortion.
“The universities corner the funds from the screening exercises
because they failed to account for such revenue during their budget
defence.
“Post UTME has no education value to our system. I hope that the
committee will look into this to put an end to it.
Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia) also said that there was need to stop
the conduct of such examinations because the universities could not
account for the utilisation of funds.
Kalu also said that the conduct of the post UTME test by schools was
“casting aspersions on the integrity of JAMB.
“Granted, there are leakages, but JAMB has to sit up. What we have
over seas is interviews.
”When you pass the examinations you are been invited over for an
interview not the way JAMB is going about it here.”
Speaking against the motion, Rep. Samuel Chinedu (PDP-Anambra), said
that the post UTME/JAMB examinations complemented the actual JAMB
examinations.
“All they do is cross check what JAMB has done. Admitting students who
are not properly checked is rather worse than the financial
implications,” he said.
Also speaking against the test, Rep. Aniekan Umanah (PDP-Akwa Ibom),
said that the universities were “exploiting the internal leakages on
what JAMB is doing.
“There is need for this motion to be revisited so that we can have a
common ground.”
The house, however, resolved that the Committee on Tertiary Education
and Services interface with JAMB on the conduct of the post UTME/JAMB
by higher institutions and report back within four weeks.
