Point System admission Option: JAMB is confused

Stakeholders have criticised the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, and the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, for adopting the Point System Option, PSO, for provisional admission.

According to them, the policy somersault of Malam Adamu was a clear indication of confusion.

JAMB had, during its meeting with universities and other tertiary institutions’ administrators in Abuja on Monday, adopted PSO for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The adoption was sequel to the cancellation of the Post-UTME by the Minister of Education on June 2.

ASUU

Speaking with Vanguard, UNILAG-ASUU Chairman, Dr Laja Odukoya, said with the actions and policies taken so far, the Minister of Education had deepened the confusion he created.

He said: “Clearly, the minister is merely deepening the confusion he has created, based on ill-conceived policy and lack of courage to do what is right.”

He said the point system was in use at the University of Ibadan, but was jettisoned at the introduction of post-UTME, adding that the latest policy somersault indicated that JAMB could not be trusted with university admission.

Odukoya said: “With the new arrangement, candidates of miracle centres, who bought their scores in WASCE, NECO and UTME, are advantaged over hard working, honest and diligent students.”

From Ibadan

On his part, Deputy Director, Distant Learning Centre, University of Ibadan, Professor Oyesoji Aremu, said: “JAMB and the Ministry of Education seem not to understand what exactly they want for education in respect of candidates seeking admission.”

According to him, within a space of a month, JAMB had “foisted two admission policies on the country.

“A few weeks ago, JAMB, through the Minister of Education, ‘decreed’ that money must not be charged by universities for pre-admission exercise, while the latest development stated that universities would charge fee for screening at the end of the process of admission. What do we call that? Confusion.”

Aremu, who admitted PSO was good, added that it would be quality-driven because it would not make admission to be solely dependent on UTME scores.

He, however, pointed out that the initiative was an indication that JAMB scores were not fool-proof as evident in unsubstantiated scores and post-admission academic performance.

Point System Option

PSO is a process whereby a candidate’s total points are got from the ‘O’ Level grades and JAMB scores. It means each grade would have its equivalent point: A=6, B=4 marks, C=3 marks.

The system suggests that the better a candidate’s ‘O’ Level grades, the better his or her chances of securing admission.

Closely allied to the above is the UTME scores: according to JAMB, candidates with a score of 180 to185 get 20 points; 186 to 190 get 21; between 200 and 250, 24-33, while those who scored 300 to 400, get 44 to 60 points.

JAMB added: “Any candidate who submits one result which has the relevant subjects, has 10 points.

“The exam could be NECO, WASSCE, November/December WASSCE among others. But any candidate who has two sittings only gets two points.”

The addition of these points and points from ‘O’ Level results gives a candidate total points for admission.

“Cut-off marks will be released by the institutions this year in the form of points and not marks,” JAMB added.