JAMB: New Cut-Off Marks Meet Mixed Reaction In South-South

The lowering of the cut-off marks for admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has prompted mixed reactions from University lecturers in the South-South.

Although some see the development as being extensive, many others have deemed the board's decision as inefficient and dangerous to the nation's education standard. 

The Southern University lecturers, in a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), conveyed their opinions on the new The university teachers expressed their feelings on the new standard of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

AllNews Nigeria reports that the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede on July 21 announced 140, 120, and 100 as the new cut-off marks for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education respectively. 
 
University of Benin lecturer, Prof. Monday Omoregie maintained that the reduced university admission cut-off mark is not only ludicrous but is also a sign of a decline in the quality of education in Nigeria. 

He stated that the level of growth of any society is dependent on its educational standard, noting that the development which is an indication of a dying system is counterproductive and not welcome in Benin. 

“The cut-off mark is usually based on the level of success. So to come from down 200 to 180 to 140 is not t good at all.

“What a union like the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been crying for is that government should invest massively in the education in our country.

“There can be no substitute for that. That is how I look at it,” he said.

Prof. Monday Igbafen of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, however, said that universities should be allowed to set their cut-off marks without JAMB denying the university Senate their functional power.

Igbafen who is a former ASUU chairman in the university said: “I think we are going to that side now that JAMB cannot insist on what should be the cut-off mark for various universities.

“It should allow universities not even through the UTME, but their own internal examinations to admit qualified students into their systems.

“The way it is now, some of us are not surprised that JAMB is somersaulting on daily basis. There is nothing that can come out of a system that does not have regard for merit.”

He added that the new minimum score by JAMB is an indication that the board is prepared to reduce the quality of education in the country. 

In his opinion, a senior lecturer at the University of Calabar, Dr Paul Bukie, also said that reducing UTME cut-off marks would continue to lower the academic standard in the country.

He said the development would encourage a lack of seriousness and preparedness in the admission seekers, adding that students would no longer see education as competitive. 

On his part, Jerry Etta, another lecturer in the same institution, blamed the reduction on the low performance of candidates in the 2022 UTME.

“If the performance by the candidates were to be high, the cut-off marks would have been high as well.

“More so, the low cut-off marks is an inclusive idea and to ensure an increase in school enrollment.

“The fact is, once the candidate has the required West African Examination Council or National Examination Council requirements of 5 credits, the candidate should be admitted,” he said. 

Maxwell Momah, a Chemistry lecturer at Delta State University, Abraka, said reducing the cut-off was a good way to encourage students to pursue tertiary education. 

Momah, however, warned that the standard of education should not be compromised due to the development.  

“Though it is a means of generating revenue for schools, the basic requirements should not be compromised.

“It is important that the admission benchmark is regulated so that candidates that are offered admission will be serious and ready for the journey of life in institutions of higher learning,” he said.

"Reduction in UTME cut-off will trigger academic laziness".

Dr Williams Wodi of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) advised JAMB to reverse the 140 cut-off mark for universities, saying it is dangerous to the education sector. 

"Won't the new benchmarks for admission into tertiary institutions be a way to favour a particular section of the country without thinking about its adverse effect on education?

“The past tradition was that JAMB usually used the highest scores to set the lowest cut-off marks.

“So, it is really surprising that JAMB set 2022 cut-off marks as low as 140 for universities; 120 for polytechnics and 100 for colleges of education.

“This shows that JAMB wants to accommodate people from some sections of the country that didn’t perform well in their UTME so that they can be admitted.

“It is unfortunate that university education has come to such a level that those who are not qualified are being accommodated to create a sense of federal character.

“The new cut-off marks should be reversed immediately as it will further worsen the standard of education in this country,” he added.

University of Uyo lecturer and Dean, the faculty of Education, Prof. Ntiaobong Ekong, maintained that the reduced benchmark would reduce the quality of admitted students into Nigerian Universities. 

Ekong advised the federal government to design vocational programmes for students who can not see the needed criteria for admission.  

‘University education is not for everybody. There is no way you can accommodate everybody but you can design programmes to support those who cannot cope,” he said