Editor
By Fatima Saka
The Senate Deputy Whip has condemned the act of Nigerian Universities and JAMB denying children of the poor to study the course of their choice by swapping the course and giving it to the children of the prominent.
He further stressed that he is here to represent the common Nigerian to fight for their rights.
This follows a motion sponsored by the Senate Deputy Whip, Senator Nwebonyi Onyeka Peter representing Ebony North senatorial district. Tittled: “Urgent Need to curtail the practice of Undisclosed Admissions and other unwholesome practices by JAMB and Universities, particularly the University of Nigeria, Niukka”
The motion read; “Notes that the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) was established in 1978, originally, with the mandate to regulate admissions into Nigeria Universities through the university matriculation examination (UME);
“Also notes that the duties of JAMB were later expanded to include regulating admissions into other higher or tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria, prompting the change of nomenclature of the entrance examination from the UME to the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), to include entrance into Nigerian universities, polytechnics, mono-technics, and colleges of education,
“Further notes that JAME initially offer provisional admissions into tertiary institutions on awaiting result status but stopped it on the ground that many applicants who were offered such admissions abused the awaiting result life-line by not obtaining the qualifying results for the admissions till their graduation:
“Informed that the authorities of Tertiary Institutions, in cahoots with some JAMB officials have reverted to the practice of provisional admissions into prized professional courses like medicine and surgery, pharmacy, law, Engineering nursing science, etc. with view to shortchanging some students already offered admission in exchange for gratification
“Also informed of the travails of one Miss Chinyere Ekwe and 290 others who were admitted to study medicine and surgery at the University of Nigeria Nsukka but had their admissions truncated on the order of JAMB for no plausible reason, after they had completed the admission processes and resumed lectures. Miss Ekwe in particular, scored 291 in the 2019 UTME and 300 in the university’s post UTME which qualified her for the course, and was subsequently admitted by the university:
“Further informed that the said Chinyere Ekwe was transferred to the department of medical laboratory science on the ground that if her cumulative grade point is up to 45 points after the first year, she would be transferred back to medicine and surgery. However, despite the fact that she surpassed the 4.5 threshold, her admission status is still not yet certain as to whether she is duly admitted in the department of medicine and surgery or medical laboratory science;
“Worried that the provisional admission practice is being used as a malicious tool to exploit and frustrate intelligent young Nigerians who are children and wards of ordinary people, who seek admission into Nigerian Universities;
“Also worried by the fact that these children who bestirred themselves to make good grades in their UTME are being made to pay the necessary fees, undergo the rigorous processes of registration and matriculation, resume lectures, and sometimes, even take semester examinations, only to be transferred to other less competitive courses by the universities in connivance with JAMB without any plausible explanations, thereby destroying
“their ambitions in the course of the unholy act of course swap:
“Concerned that the psycho emotional trauma this unexplained course swap bears on the victims is so. devastating that it is capable of leading the individuals to depression, loss of enthusiasm, and worse even, leading some of the victims into crimes; and also that such uncertainty and unfair treatment as meted out to Miss Chinyere Ekwe could cause the aspiring young girl irredeemable emotional trauma and loss of confidence in the Nigerian state; and
“Further concerned that such unwholesome practices put our educational system in jeopardy, cause apathy on the side of ordinary Nigerians and also dampen the renewed hope this government stands for!
The senator stressed: “Every admission coming from jamb or the universities should be certain that she is qualified to study medicine or surgery, or she is not qualified. The idea of changing schools, especially when some people are qualified, and when some people have been given an admission only to turn around to swap the courses is a kind as far as I’m concerned.
“And that is why we’re calling on authority. relevant committees of the Senate to investigate this allegation is a very rich allegation. This is not only affecting children. It’s only affecting other children and historical antecedents of UNN.
“And I know what is happening to you and maybe you happen to know investors. So that is why we’re calling on the real bank committees of the Senate to invite the investing here from both parties and address this issue because this problem will destroy the future of our children.
“And I must tell you as a nation, we may develop infrastructurally and otherwise, but the best development we can give to ourselves and to another generation is to give our children quality education.”
After a long deliberation, the Senate however referred the motion to the Committees on Tertiary Institutions and Public Petition for appropriate deliberation and finding a lasting solution to the unwholesome practices in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
