Some of us who were physically present at the JAMB Policy
meeting owe it a duty to clarify issues and right some wrongs in the reportage
of the meeting.
It is a pity that the
personality and position of the incumbent Registrar, Prof Oloyede, is being
unfairly vilified when he should be commended. These are the facts as observed
and as stated to us at the meeting.
1) JAMB was established at the instance of 13 Vice
Chancellors some decades ago to stream-line the process of admission and
eliminate the duplication of entrance examinations to universities.
2)JAMB, by the edict establishing it, is supposed to confine
itself to the conduct of examinations and release of results to the
universities.
3) The Senate of each university is then expected to decide
on the admission criteria and CUT OFF MARKS. Please note that the Senate of the
university is the highest body empowered to make policies /pronouncements on academic
matters. They award the degrees.
4) Over the years however, JAMB, had exceeded it's mandate
and sought to take over the roles of the university Senate. It came to a head
last year when JAMB forwarded the lists of students admitted to each university.
Of course this was strongly resisted by most Vice-Chancellors, including yours
sincerely.
Last time I checked, Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) is fully owned by the Government and people of Ogun State, and no
parastatal in Abuja, will be permitted to act as if it owns/operates TASUED.
This is the background of what brought in Prof Oloyede as the new Registrar .
5) Since he came on board,
he has tried to address the issues and correct anomalies observed. It
was in the process of doing this that certain decisions were taken.
a) the power to
'fully own' the admission process was transferred back to the Senate of each
university, where it rightly belongs.
Each university now has some freedom to decide it's cut-off point, with
a proviso that none should go below 120, which was the lowest submission . Most
universities are sticking to 170-200 cut-off mark.
b) all admission processes should be placed on the table of
public scrutiny and there should be no 'under the table' admission which is
then covered later by regularisation through JAMB. The Registrar said he was
shocked by the huge number of students who had not taken the JAMB exam and
we're surreptitiously admitted by some universities. He said this has to stop
from this session.
6) Prof Oloyede has computerised the admission process to
make it more inclusive, open and interactive.
Applicants now have the opportunity to track their admission status and
accept /reject courses offered whilst being considered by other universities
who now have access to data of ALL applicants.
7) Prof Oloyede has shown uncommon courage in exposing and
addressing the anomalies of the past. Please remember that he also returned
over 5 billion Naira to the coffers of the Federal Government, an amount which the Minister of Education
said was higher than the sum total amount paid by JAMB since its establishment.
I believe the criticism of Prof Oloyede is unfair and could
dampen his enthusiasm for the job. He should be commended not condemned.
Please note that I am not Prof Oloyede's spokesperson
neither does he know of this submission. But I was at the meeting and I felt a
need to clarify issues.
All it takes for evil to thrive is for good people to keep
silent.
*Contributed by Professor Oluyemisi Obilade is the
Vice-Chancellor of the Tai Solarin University of Education.
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