Category: Education

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, has cancelled general cut-off marks for admission into tertiary institutions and gave schools the freedom to set their individual minimum benchmarks for admission.

The Board took the decision at the 2021 policy meeting, which was held virtually, and chaired by the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

Speaking during the meeting, Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said, “Some universities such as the University of Maiduguri, proposed 150; Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, proposed 140; Pan Atlantic University proposed 210; University of Lagos 200; Lagos State University, 190; Covenant University 190; and Bayero University, Kano, 180.

“Institutions have now been given the liberty to decide cut-off marks; there will be no cut-off marks [stipulation] from JAMB.”

The meeting approved that, for Direct Entry, the maximum score a candidate could present is six and the minimum is two or an E, as required by law.

The policy meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education, usually has all heads of tertiary institutions, heads of regulatory agencies in the sector, and other critical stakeholders such as the chairmen of the committees on education at the lower and upper chambers of the National Assembly in attendance.

Earlier in August, JAMB had released a bulletin on the policy meeting, stating, “This meeting kick-starts the admission process into the nation’s tertiary institutions.

“It will discuss critical issues emanating from the presentation of the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, and Direct Entry applications, in addition to setting the tone for the 2021/2022 admission exercise.

“The meeting is expected to chart policy directions for the nation’s tertiary institutions, set admission guidelines and present application statistics, candidates’ performance as well as evaluate the 2020 admission exercise.

“The meeting, in addition to other deliberations, would take a stand on acceptable minimum admissions standards to be applied in all admissions to be undertaken by all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

“Given the critical nature of the decisions to be taken at the meeting, it would be streamed live on the Board’s website, http://www.jamb.gov.ng, on its Facebook handle ‘@JAMBULLETIN’ and other social media platforms.”

Warning tertiary institutions against commencing admission process before the policy meeting, the bulletin added, “The Board makes it clear that it is an abuse of process for any institution to commence any admission exercise before this meeting, as it is this forum that gives this authorisation.”

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The union’s President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who disclosed this in an interview with newsmen, added that the FG no longer picked its calls.

Recall that in March 2020, ASUU embarked on a strike following its disagreement with the FG over the funding of the universities and the ineffectiveness and discrepancies around the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System and others.

ASUU, however, developed the University Transparency and Accountability Solution to replace IPPIS and had several meetings with the Ministries of Finance, Education, Labour and Employment, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation before it was approved but yet to be implemented.

Due to government’s silence over their demands, Osodeke said the union would not hesitate to embark on a fresh strike to protest government’s failure.

He said, “The government has refused to reach out to us. Government officials have stopped. In fact, they don’t take our calls again. Nigerians should tell the government to do what they agreed to do.

“We signed an agreement and even in May, we reached a final agreement; this is August and nothing has been implemented. Does it make any sense? We are giving them till the end of August and after that, we start the procedures.”

Punch

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JAMB announced this in its weekly bulletin released in Abuja by its Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin.

It reads: “This (policy) meeting kick-starts the admission process into the nation’s tertiary institutions. It will discuss critical issues emanating from the presentation of the Registrar of the JAMB on the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry applications, in addition to setting the tone for the 2021/2022 admission exercise.

“The meeting is expected to chart policy directions for the nation’s tertiary institutions, set admission guidelines and present application statistics, candidates’ performance as well as evaluate the 2020 admission exercise.

” The meeting, in addition to other deliberations, would take a stand on acceptable minimum admission standards to be applied in all admissions to be undertaken by all tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

“Given the critical nature of the decisions to be taken at the meeting, it would be streamed live on the board’s website, http://www.jamb.gov.ng, on its Facebook handle @JAMBULLETIN and other social media platforms.

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The Head of National Office (HNO) of WAEC, Mr Patrick Areghan, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

“Late registration makes preparations very cumbersome. On the contrary, we do not experience same during examination for private candidates”.

“This year, we opened our portal for registration of candidates on February 5, to close on May 16; that is a three-month interval.

“We later extended it to May 31, but due to activities of defaulters, we kept shifting the goalpost until the end of June.

“This is July and as at 15th, these stragglers were still calling for more extension”.

These are people who will not do the needful within the given period; this will no longer be tolerated, no matter the explanation advanced,” he warned.

“If a student should fail the examination while in school, depending on the policy of the state, if given the opportunity to repeat, he or she could repeat; if not, such a person should go and attempt the examination again as a private candidate.”

“They do not want to comply. Should they comply with the process and directive, the issue of registering external candidates will never arise.

“I recall in 2018, they frustrated our efforts, but it did not work, same in 2019.

“This year, we have taken the issue to our board and it has given us the necessary backing; those who could not register within the given time frame were shut out and have been all over the place complaining,” he told NAN.

“Right now, whatever you submit as your continuous assessment score record, name of candidates and other details, is what we transfer to our registration portal.

“No change is effected but unfortunately, upon doing all these, some schools still go-ahead to enroll fictitious named so that when they go shopping for external candidates, they come back to demand for a change of information on candidates’ profiles,” he said.

“Our message now is that it will no longer be business as usual. We have started to checkmate all these unwholesome activities and we are putting down our feet”.

Vanguard

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JAMB’s Head of Media Fabian Benjamin said this in a statement in Abuja.

“Following a detailed investigation and careful analysis of the highly-successful 2021 UTME, and with due consultation (resulting in gracious concession) with the National Examination Council (NECO) concerning the timetable of the council’s ongoing SSCE, JAMB has scheduled a Mop-up UTME for Friday, 6th August, 2021, in some selected locations across the nation.

“About 18,000 candidates slated for the examination are being notified through both text messages on their designated phone numbers and their JAMB profiles.

“In addition, the candidate can check using their registration number on http://www.jamb.gov.ng/2021mopup.

According to the statement, those affected include;

i. Candidates who could not be initially scheduled for examination owing to their inability to timely procure and supply their mandatory NINs or profile codes until after the close of the registration exercise and, therefore, had to purchase Bank Drafts ( as against the usual vending of PINs) after the scheduled period for the examination and were later registered.

ii. Few candidates who encountered peculiar biometric verification problem, or who failed biometric verification on the examination date ( and were recaptured) but were not allowed to partake in the examination.

(Adequate screening arrangements have been made to reverify such claims and any candidate found to be involved in any form of impersonation will be identified for prosecution).

iii. Candidates who were unable to sit for the UTME owing to the clash of timetables of the UTME and the then ongoing NABTEB examinations and whose particulars have been verified and supplied directly to JAMB by NABTEB, and

iv. Candidates who have been ascertained by JAMB to have experienced genuine rescheduling/technical problems as was the case in 30 of the 760 centres used for the examination.

Punch

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The Chairperson, ASUU, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Dr. Ibrahim Inuwa, stated this while speaking with select journalists at the Union’s Secretariat.

He said, “Renegotiation of the 2009 agreement which would have been completed within eight weeks from the date of inauguration of the committee has up till now not been concluded, even though the Committee was inaugurated since December 2020.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria willingly agreed that the UTAS will replace the IPPIS as a payment platform in Federal Universities after it passed an integrity test. However, soon after the agreement, agents of the FGN are doing everything possible to frustrate the coming of UTAS onboard.

“Meanwhile the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation through the IPPIS office have continued to omit our members from payment of salaries while others experience serious salary amputation. We are convinced this is done in connivance with the University Administration through the distortion of our members’ personal details.

“In the meantime, IPPIS appears to be the corruption headquarters of the Federal Civil service, as exemplified by double payment of salaries to employees, payment of salaries to non-employees, over taxation, dubious amputation of salaries, etc.”

Inuwa declared that “Enough is enough. ASUU is fed up with deceptive antics of the federal government of Nigeria.

“The University Campuses are becoming restive across the length and breadth as Academics are threatening to shut down activities once again. This is coming as a result of the failure of the FGN to implement many aspects of the memorandum of Action it willingly signed with ASUU that ended the last strike in December, 2020.

“Given the glaring and deliberate failure of Government to honour the agreement it willingly signed with the Union, it is becoming obvious that industrial harmony is gradually being destroyed in the University Campuses.

“We, therefore, call on well-meaning Nigerians to wake up the FGN from its slumber to avoid another disruption of academic activities on Universities Campuses across the nation” adding that “the atmosphere is tensed and charged.”

Punch

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This was contained in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ismail Omipidan, titled, ‘Osun Int’l Fashion Week: Oyetola launches mass production of Adire Osun …declares every Thursday Adire Osun Day’.

Oyetola said, “I wish to recall that at the inauguration of this administration under my leadership, I did state that the economy of our State should be repositioned and that Economic Summit would be organised to, among other initiatives, develop strategies that would drive meaningful youth employment, enhance food security and agricultural development, activate mining prospects and boost the tourism potential of the State.

“You will also recall that I stated in my inauguration speech that the Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises would be strengthened to enhance their productive capacity so as to generate jobs, create wealth and further boost our local economy.

“I also promised that the State of Osun would be made a cultural destination and tourism enterprise zone in the South West.

“It is in line with the above Vision that the Government has swung into action by harnessing all the various tourism resources that the State is greatly endowed with.

“Due to the various commitments of the State Government, the Federal Government and other Private and Public Development Partners are collaborating with the State for the provision of infrastructure and the upgrade of our cultural and tourism sites to global standards.”

Oyetola announced that “it has become compulsory henceforth, for all the Public and Civil Servants to wear Adire same day as part of efforts to quicken the actualisation of the set objectives of the initiative as Osun remains the leading light in African culture and tradition in the country”.

Punch

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At a briefing in Bariga, Lagos, National President of the Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO), Mr. Dotun Shodunke described this year’s UTME as the worst, error-filled and a disgrace.

“Let me state categorically, without equivocation that the UTME 2021 is the worst conducted UTME in so many years. In fact, it is a total charade and the Association of Tutorial School Operators (ATSO) rejects it in totality. Every facet of the conduct of the UTME 2021 was marred by serious irregularities ranging from unnecessary frustration of candidates, extortion of candidates, serious glitches and malfunctions in computers and other equipment at the centres, multiple results, denying candidates the right to write the exam, subjecting candidates to danger and risks, etc. We have all the necessary evidence to back up our claims.”

“I challenge you, Sir, with your spokesperson to please get a consultant, prove to Nigerians that you did not fail these children deliberately. Get a consultant I must be there too. Get at least 20 students, their scripts print it out at least you will have the record on your server let an independent person remark. We all know the questions and answers. Let them remark if they score the same thing, I am telling the whole Nigeria, the 20 students. Please, Sir, don’t take me to court, Let me serve two years in jail,” he said, adding that if he was proven right, then the Registrar should resign.

“Candidates were getting results that belong to other people. It was so bad. Jamb had to quickly suspend that policy again. Yet we still have cases of multiple results for candidates”.

TheNation

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A Federal High Court, Abuja, has refused to grant Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, former Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, bail on alleged fraud preferred against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

Justice Obiora Egwuatu declined the oral application for bail by counsel to the defendant, P.O Olorunishola, SAN, after the ICPC lawyer, Ebenezer Shogunle, opposed the submission.

The former chief executive officer of JAMB is the sole defendant in the suit marked: CR/97/21 bordering on alleged misappropriation of about N900 million.

Punch

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The board’s Head of Media and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the report “is not correct’’.

Benjamin noted that almost all results of candidates, who sat for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, have since been released.

The board’s Head of Media and Protocol, Dr Fabian Benjamin, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Lagos that the report “is not correct’’.

Benjamin noted that almost all results of candidates, who sat for the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, have since been released.

“No examination has been fixed for any category of candidates.

“The attention of the board was drawn to a Twitter message credited to it that it had fixed another examination for candidates who scored lower than 170 in its examination and should come for a re-sit on July 3,’’ he said.

NAN