The Post utme Saga, what's next

The latest news making rounds that the Education Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has scrapped the post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has caused quite some ruckus.

The second level screening was introduced in 2004 as a child of necessity when the integrity of the University Matriculations Examination (now Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME) had beco

me questionable. Stories about paper leakages and widespread examination malpractices were rife in the pre-post-UTME era.  It was common to find candidates with high scores in the examination not able to defend it after being admitted because they had cheated.  It was also common to find low-scoring candidates with influence and money getting into school at the expense of better candidates.

The introduction of the post-UTME screening checked all that.  Candidates needed to defend their UTME scores by also passing the university’s entrance test.  It gave more candidates a fairer chance to get admitted on merit than previously.  However, the post-UTME also became abused.  Most institutions charge at least five times higher than the N1,000 fee recommended by the National Universities Commission (NUC).  It did not also mean that only the best got in as a level of influence could also get students admitted if they met minimum standard.  Worse still, many candidates had to spend a lot of money on travelling expenses to institutions to take the examination, which further increased the cost and risks they had to bear.

Since 2004, JAMB has indeed cleaned up its act and improved the conduct of the UTME.  The introduction of Computer Based Testing (CBT) nationwide two years ago further helped to improve the integrity of the examination, making people to question the need for a second screening again.  However, JAMB has not perfected the art of conducting a hitch free examination.  There were lapses during this year’s UTME, likewise last year, as a result of system failure which put a lot of candidates at a disadvantage.  So, JAMB presently does not yet engender 100 per cent confidence in the conduct of the UTME.

However, beyond the integrity of the UTME, academics argue that institutions must have a say in how they select their students.  So, to them, the post-UTME is still in order.  The minister is yet to come out to deny scrapping the post-UTME.  But those who attended the policy meeting in Abuja have said he meant that institutions should not conduct examinations similar to JAMB’s but that they could perhaps conduct oral interviews testing other areas.  Whether that is what the minister meant or not, it really does make sense for tertiary institutions to conduct further screening tests that check suitability of candidates in other ways.  However, in doing so, they should care not to stress the candidates financially, physically, psychologically, and in any other way.  The screening should not be a means of generating revenue.  This is especially so as many institutions are highly oversubscribed and as a result, many candidates will not get it – not because they will not pass, but simply because there is no space to accommodate them.