Ibadan—ACADEMIC Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan Chapter has called on President
Muhammadu Buhari to probe alleged over N1billion that will be generated from
sale of scratch cards to candidates seeking admission into tertiary
institutions across the country.
While condemning the new policy
imposed on candidates by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB,
the academic union claimed the scratch card is now being sold for N1,500 to
each candidate seeking admission.
To the academic union which spoke
through its Chairman, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye, the policy would be
counter-productive, noting that it has made admission process chaotic and
exposed candidates to fraudsters.
It insisted that JAMB should respect
candidates’ preferences and choices for tertiary institutions and consider
security of lives of candidates, cost, proximity, quality, and rights of the
Nigerian child in arriving at any policy.
ASUU further described the policy as
exploitative which allegedly amounted to abuse of the rights of the candidates.
It alleged that Professor Dibu
Ojerinde, who oversees the affairs of the board was insensitive to the plights
of the Nigerian masses with parents not paid for months by some governors but
are now being forced to pay N1, 000 to know where their wards are reassigned
against their choices.
Reacting to the allegations, the
board through its Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, denied sale of scratch
cards saying the internet access is free to all candidates.
The Board explained “that the National
cut-off marks of 180 for universities and 150 for Polytechnics, Colleges of
Education and Innovative Enterprise institutions in the 2015 UTME was a
benchmark to set the tone for 2015 admission exercise.”
The decision to have a national
accepted cut-off mark at policy meeting was to serve as a guide and pruning
mechanism to give the tertiary institutions qualitative candidates to choose
from a pool of candidates desirous of tertiary education”.
“However, Universities and other
levels of tertiary institutions are at liberty to go higher, but not lower,
depending on their peculiarities and the performance of candidates that choose
them. Provided thes e cut off marks are uniformly applied to all candidates
based on existing admission criteria by proprietors of these institutions”.
“Universities are centres of
excellence anywhere in the world and ours should not be an exception. The
policy witnessed in University of Lagos is aimed at ensuring that our
Universities admit only the top best as done globally. “
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