27th July, 2015
Following protests at the University of Lagos, Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said that it was set to re-distribute candidates with cut-off marks less than what universities of their first choice require to other institutions that have places for them.
Dr Fabian Benjamin, Head Media and Publicity of the board told newsmen in Lagos today that the recent admission policy witnessed at the University of Lagos was aimed at ensuring that Nigerian universities admit only the top-best as was done globally.
Candidates and their parents had on Wednesday, July 22, staged a peaceful protest at the University of Lagos gate over the high cut-off marks for 2015/2016 post-UTME screening. By the policy, UNILAG reportedly rejected 59,000 candidates.
“Sequel to this development, the board has redistributed the other candidates with cut-off marks less than what their first choice required to needy institutions. The board, equally, urges candidates and their parents to check its website from Friday, July 31, 2015 for their names and institutions they are placed in,” the statement said.
According to the statement, universities are centres of excellence anywhere in the world and that of Nigeria should not be an exception.
It said that JAMB was working round the clock to ensure that Nigerian universities were among the best in Africa and perhaps the world in the next ranking.
The statement explained that the board was also cautious about utilizing the available spaces in admitting more candidates bearing in mind the admission criteria of various needy institutions.
“The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has reiterated that the national cut-off marks of 180 for universities.
“We also have 150 for Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Innovative Enterprise institutions in the 2015 UTME as a bench mark to set the tone for 2015 admission exercise.
“The decision to have a national accepted cut-off mark at the policy meeting was to serve as a guide and pruning mechanism.
“It will also give the tertiary institutions qualitative and manageable 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,” it explained.
The statement added that the board wished to state that no candidate would be denied any right to aspire to tertiary education.
According to the statement, the board is equally aware that some universities have their own admission cut-off marks acceptable by the board for the various courses they offered.
“Please be informed that the board will always ensure that these institutions apply this cut-off marks uniformly across all candidates without discrimination.