Funmi Olaitan, Ibadan

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday, lashed out at the Federal Government over the minimum cut-off mark for 2017/2018 admission into the nation’s tertiary institutions.

It would be recalled that JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, had in agreement with other stakeholders announced 120 and 100 as the minimum scores for admission into University and Polytechnic respectively.

He said, “30 per cent of those in higher institutions do not take JAMB or have less than the cut-off marks. The admission process is now automated with direct involvement of the registrar of JAMB for final approval. We have agreed to regularize admissions that were done under the table this year. From next year we will not accept anything like that.”

But while reacting to the decision in an interview with journalists in Ibadan, Chairman ASUU, University of Ibadan, Dr. Deji Omole, said it was sad that the present administration’s dream is to destroy education in Nigeria.

Omole who described the cut-off mark as a sad policy decision for the future of Nigeria, accused JAMB Registrar of presiding over illegality.

According to him, rather than sanctioning the identified universities who admitted over 17,000 students illegally, JAMB registrar simply regularised illegality and lowered cut-off marks to favour the interests of friends of government who own private universities and are hell bent on destroying public education.

While reiterating the call for the scrapping of JAMB for outliving its usefulness, he said students should apply directly to universities of their choice for admission.

The ASUU boss noted that to think of allowing into the tertiary education system with 30 per cent is to plant doomed future for Nigeria.

He said, “Where are those JAMB Registrar said entered universities illegally? Which universities admitted them? If 30 per cent did not take JAMB and found their way into the university system is that not corruption and a message that JAMB is not significant anymore? What sanction did those who did the illegal thing receive other than regularization of illegality. We are watching because long before now we said that JAMB had outlived its usefulness. Let the universities set their unique standards and those who are qualified can come in. 120/400 is 30 per cent. Even in those days 40 per cent was graded as pass. But now JAMB said with F9 which is scoring 30 per cent you can be admitted. They deliberately want to destroy education. Even for polytechnic 100 marks is 25 per cent. It is sad. And that is where we are in Nigeria.

"They want to destroy public education at all cost. This is not setting standard for education in Nigeria. It is purely lowering standards and digging grave for the future. This is why ASUU is currently in the struggle to influence the government to do the needful for education in Nigeria.”