Reasons For The Cancellation of 2nd Choice In UTME – JAMB

The reasons for the cancellation of 2nd Choice in UTME – JAMB 2014 are
stated below:
Many candidates registering for this year's Unified Tertiary
Matriculation Examinations, UTME, were shocked when they were given
the choice to pick only one university of their choice, contrary to
the traditional first and second choice options of universities and/or
polytechnics. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB,
responsible for the UTME, in a new policy has made it compulsory for
candidates to pick one university, one polytechnic, one college of
education and one innovative enterprise institute (IEI) when
registering for their exams.
The Registrar, JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, believes that this policy
will go a long way in solving the admission crisis bedeviling the
country. In an exclusive interview with Vanguard Learning, he said:
"Most university managements claim that they do not run second class
universities, and as a result, do not want to admit students who
choose them as a second choice. From our experience, universities
refuse to take students who make them a second choice, but they do not
hesitate to collect the students' money when they want to write the
post-UTME. And this is not fair to students.
So last year, Vice Chancellors of universities, provosts of
Polytechnics and other stakeholders in the sector decided that
students should only pick one university, one polytechnic, one college
of education and one innovative enterprise institute when applying to
write the UTME. If they do not follow these instructions, they cannot
apply. A lot of times, there are spaces in tertiary institutions other
than universities, but the bottle neck lies in the fact that everyone
wants to go to the university.
So, beyond this move, the government must go a step further to make
these tertiary institutions degree-awarding institutions. Professor
Oby Ezekwesili had suggested this earlier. For example, Polytechnics
should be given the authority to award Bachelor of Technology awards.
This will go a long way in solving the dichotomy that exists which
causes candidates to flock mostly to the universities."
The chairman, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, Dr. Chibuzor
Asomugha argued: "There have been different kinds of policies in the
past, but the problem is always with the implementation. Whatever step
is being taken, stakeholders should ensure that they follow up
implementation."
Speaking to Vanguard Learning, Dr. Andrews Jegede, the National
President of the Association of Innovation and Vocational
Institutions, said: "If this is well implemented, then the admission
crisis the country is facing is already solved. It means that
government is beginning to understand the need to give technical,
vocational and teaching education their rightful place. What we must
do now is to encourage JAMB to ensure that the cut-off marks agreed on
are enforced across board. In other words: 180 and above for
universities, 160-169 for polytechnics, 150-159 for colleges of
education, and 150-159 for innovative enterprise institutes."
There are about 120 institutions approved by the FME and accredited by
the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and have been
listed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board since 2007.
IEIs cover areas such as computer hardware engineering, software
engineering, multimedia technology, oil and gas, information
technology, creative arts, industrial welding, early childcare
education, paralegal studies, computer networking and securities, film
production and many more.
The National Innovation Diploma (NID) is the certification approved by
the FME for IEIs. It is the equivalent of the National Diploma, and it
is equally four semesters of course work spanning over two years with
Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).
In the past few years, the nation's higher institutions have only been
able to accommodate about one third of the population of teeming
candidates who write the UTME every year. Whether the new resolutions
made by JAMB will help solve the admission crisis, remains to be seen.
Source: NGScholars

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