AMIDST ASUU STRIKE: 2013/2014 Universities Admissions Must End October 31 – JAMB Registrar

The Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Dibu Ojerinde, has urged admission officers in the universities to adhere strictly to the Federal Government guidelines. He also said the admission into Nigeria universities for the 2013/2014 session should end before October 31.

Mr. Ojerinde said this at the 1st Technical Committee Meeting on 2013/2014 Admissions to Most Preferred Degree Awarding Institutions in Uyo on Tuesday.

The meeting was organised for university admission officers across the country.

He said that the admission officers should be transparent in whatever actions and decisions they make during the admission process.

“You are reminded to strictly follow the guidelines as outlined by the proprietors of your institutions and the (60:40) Science/Arts ratio for universities and other degree awarding institutions.

“The Federal Government’s approved criteria of merit (is) 45 per cent; catchments 35 per cent and educationally-less developed states, 20 per cent.

All stakeholders are to ensure strict compliance to these criteria as the Federal Government is desirous of giving all Nigerians equal opportunity to mix and educate freely in every part of the country,” he said.

The registrar reminded the university administrators that all admissions for 2013/2014 session would come to an end on Oct. 31.

He said the board expected that the quota for each course and the criteria used for admitting the candidates should be on the right print-outs issued to them by the JAMB.

Despite the ongoing strike by university lecturers, ASUU, which is in its seventh week, many universities have continued their admission process and conducted the post-UTME examination with the lecturers threatening to invalidate the exercise.

In his remarks, the Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Education, Atim Antai, who declared the meeting open, said that education was an agent for sustainable development and should not be left to chance

Mr. Atim emphasised that education policies should be deliberately planned and rationally executed for good results.

She said that the state government gave prompt attention to complaints and reports concerning education with a view to reducing possible adverse consequences on the academic performance of students.

The commissioner called on JAMB to carry out intensive sensitisation and enlightenment of the public and students on the computer-based testing.

“Let me reiterate the determination of my ministry to cooperate with JAMB in the task of conducting a credible UTME in Akwa Ibom.

“The ministry has already put in place an Examination Watch Group to monitor all examinations conducted by the board and other examining bodies with a view to making such examinations credible and examination ethics-compliant,” she said.