New JAMB Policy Is Unfortunate And Unacceptable |Stakeholders|

Stakeholders in the Education sector on Thursday, March 2, in Ibadan, said the scrapping of `Awaiting Result’ by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board. (JAMB) was unacceptable and not right.
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the policy was not suitable and would truncate arrangements already in place.


The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that JAMB had on February 28, announced that students would no longer be able to secure admission, while awaiting their `O’ level results.
Prof. Andy Fadoju of the Department of Human Kinetics and Health Education, University of Ibadan, said it was unfortunate that the most-abused sector in Nigeria was the education sector.
“That is why you find all this unstable policies because in an ideal setting, you expect to see a round peg in the right hole,’’ Fadoju said.

According to Fadoju, there should be a smooth transition from the secondary education to the tertiary and I do not see anything wrong in that.
He said that scrapping `Awaiting Result’ would affect the morale of candidates and it might also lead to youthful exuberance.
“You know, most children nowadays are not patient. Their age of maturity is different and they always want to move on with the knowledge they have acquired.
“So once there is a break for them, there is the tendency that this could lead to youthful exuberance and may also cause problems for the society,’’ he said.
Fadoju said that as an educationist, he was not in support of the new policy as announced by JAMB.
Mr Muyiwa Bamgbose, Executive Director, Educational Advancement Centre, Ibadan, said that there should be adequate provision by government to review strategic​ plans in the education sector.
He said that though the Board (JAMB) had been clamouring for priority of old candidates over the new ones, proper and well-thought out plans must be taken and should be long term planning.
Bamgbose, however, urged the government to give adequate attention to `A’ level education in the country, adding that right now, only 10 per cent attention was being given to `A’ level candidates in terms of for admission.
Other parents who spoke with NAN described the new policy as “unfortunate and uncalled for’’.
Mr Olabiyi Orekoya, said he was not surprised with the announcement.
Orekoya said that the Board was only looking for ways of reducing the number of candidates seeking admission into tertiary institution.
“I really do not know what is wrong with our educational system. We continue to be at the back stage due to policies that are not sustainable,’’ he said.
Some students who spoke with NAN said that, though, JAMB had the right to bring policies from time to time but the scrapping of `Awaiting Result’ by candidates was not right.
Mr Stephen Ogunronbi, a part four student in the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, said he would have waited for one year if it was now because he was admitted while awaiting his result.
“I would have waited for one year if now, due to this new policy,’’ Ogunronbi said.
He, however, said that the policy had more disadvantages than advantages.