The pressure and public outcry against post-University Matriculation Examination screening by Nigerian universities not withstanding, the National Universities Commission has endorsed the continuation of the exercise.
Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Mohammed Audu, disclosed this at the permanent site of the campus in Gidan-Kwano, Minna, on Monday, while briefing journalists on the programmes lined up for the institution’s 10th convocation ceremony.
According to the vice- chancellor, “Just this morning, the Secretary of the NUC said that universities would continue to screen candidates seeking admission to universities because he knows the implications of the contrary to the education sector.”
Audu, who lamented the level of dwindling interest in the sector said, “The fact is that those who are against the Post-UME test are parents of unsuccessful candidates who scored high in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination but failed to perform similar feat during post-UME test.”
With the NUC’s approval of the continued screening of candidates seeking admission to the nation’s universities through the post-UME test, Audu said, it would be easy for university authorities to ascertain the authenticity of candidates writing the examinations as well as the owners of the certificates.
Recently, the House of Representatives voted against the continued use of the post-UME screening by tertiary institutions in the country following the controversies surrounding the exercise while the Senate is yet to look into the matter.
The VC also revealed that the Committee of Vice-Chancellors had earlier sent a position paper to the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Assembly and the NUC, analysing their findings within the short period the screening was introduced, while also advancing reasons for its continuation.
Audu said, “Before the introduction of the screening exercise, over 40 per cent of registered undergraduates in most universities could hardly cope with academic works when they got admitted. This puts a question mark on the high scores recorded by such students at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination.”
“The level of school dropouts has been on the increase despite the high grades such students scored in their WAEC/NECO and JAMB because there is the likelihood that many of them never sat for the examinations to get the grades they present to us for admission,” the VC further pointed out.
He said since the introduction of the post-UME by various universities in the country, the rate of dropouts, carry-overs and examination malpractices had reduced to less than five per cent, insisting that the screening was in the best interest of the university system and the nation’s education system in general.
Audu also explained that this year’s post-UME test in the university would be conducted using the newly acquired Computer Based Testing device that would ensure the release of the results of the candidates with their pictures on the same day the examination is conducted.
He said the new device would also help to check examination malpractices, as the Information Communication Technology device would help to detect impersonation and other examination vices.
Source: Punch Newspapers –
www.punchng.com
