2012 UTME: JAMB pegs cut-off point at 180 for varsities,160 for others

[MrVan]

By Favour Nnabugwu

ABUJA – THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has fixed national cut-off marks for admission into the nation's tertiary institutions. For the 2012/13 academic session, the board pegged cut-off mark for admission into universities at 180, while 160 was fixed for polytechnics, colleges of technology, colleges of education and other diploma-awarding institutions.

JAMB Registrar/CE, Professor Dibu Ojerinde announced the cut-off marks at the 3rd Combined Policy Committee Meeting on Admissions to Degree-awarding Institutions, National Diploma, ND; Nigeria Certificate in Education, NCE; and National Innovation Diploma, NID, in Abuja.

Also at the event, Professor Ojerinde lampooned the tertiary institutions for not admitting students up to their approved carrying capacities as the board released 2012 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.

Speaking further, Ojerinde urged the institutions to adhere strictly to entry requirements, saying institutions should ensure compliance with approved admissions guidelines, bearing in mind such criteria as merit, catchment, educationally less developed states, quota, carrying capacity and national cut-off mark.

The national cut-off mark for admissions into universities in Nigeria for 2012/2013 academic session is fixed at 180, while the Board set 160 as the National cut-off mark for admissions into polytechnics, colleges of education and other diploma-awarding institutions.

Condemning majority of the tertiary institutions' inability to admit close to or up to their carrying capacities, Ojerinde alleged that majority of the federal, state and private universities, polytechnics and colleges massively disobey the government in their carrying capacity ranging from a university with a carrying capacity of 6,608 which only admitted 6, 026 students, to another university that had a carrying capacity of 6, 292 but admitted only 2, 991 students.

Yet another had a carrying capacity of 1, 705 but admitted only 175 students as other federal, state and private institutions did not even admit up to 50 per cent of their carrying capacities.

According to him, "This is not good for our nation. Let us know if there is a problem why you cannot live up to your carrying capacity."

Ojerinde told the tertiary institutions to give consideration to foreign-based and physically challenged candidates.

He, however, warned private universities in the country against illegal admissions of students.

He said it has come to the notice of the Board that most  private institutions "still do back-door admissions," saying students who accept such admissions do that at their peril, as the Board has since stopped regularisation of students.

Ojerinde also observed that in spite of the hue and cry for lack of access to tertiary education in the country, most universities were unable to fill their admission quota in the last admission exercise.

Earlier, while declaring the meeting open, Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai, directed all institutions to comply with 70:30 ratio for Technology and Non-Technology for National Diploma programmes and 60:40 Science/Arts ratio for the universities and colleges of education.

"I therefore urge you to follow the guidelines which stipulate 70:30 technology/non-technology ratio for the National Diploma programmes and 60:40 for the universities and colleges of education."

Prof. Rufa'i also directed the National Universities Commission (NUC), JAMB and other accrediting bodies to meet and arrive at meaningful and acceptable guidelines for the conduct of the post-UTME screening exercise by the institutions.

While commending JAMB for prompt release of the UTME results, the Minister urged all the tertiary institutions in the country to establish e-testing centres where the next UTME could be conducted.

According to her, "the establishment of the centres, though optional, could subsequently be used as e-learning centres for candidates across the country."

Vanguard Nigeria

[Bobosonya]

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