Ibadan—ACADEMIC Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Ibadan Chapter has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe alleged over N1billion that will be generated from sale of scratch cards to candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions across the country.
While condemning the new policy imposed on candidates by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, the academic union claimed the scratch card is now being sold for N1,500 to each candidate seeking admission.
To the academic union which spoke through its Chairman, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye, the policy would be counter-productive, noting that it has made admission process chaotic and exposed candidates to fraudsters.
It insisted that JAMB should respect candidates' preferences and choices for tertiary institutions and consider security of lives of candidates, cost, proximity, quality, and rights of the Nigerian child in arriving at any policy.
ASUU further described the policy as exploitative which allegedly amounted to abuse of the rights of the candidates. It alleged that Professor Dibu Ojerinde, who oversees the affairs of the board was insensitive to the plights of the Nigerian masses with parents not paid for months by some governors but are now being forced to pay N1,000 to know where their wards are reassigned against their choices.
Reacting to the allegations, the board through its Head of Media, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, denied sale of scratch cards saying the internet access is free to all candidates.
The Board explained "that the National cut-off marks of 180 for universities and 150 for Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Innovative Enterprise institutions in the 2015 UTME was a benchmark to set the tone for 2015 admission exercise."
The decision to have a national accepted cut-off mark at policy meeting was to serve as a guide and pruning mechanism to give the tertiary institutions qualitative candidates to choose from a pool of candidates desirous of tertiary education".
"However, Universities and other levels of tertiary institutions are at liberty to go higher, but not lower, depending on their peculiarities and the performance of candidates that choose them. Provided these cut off marks are uniformly applied to all candidates based on existing admission criteria by proprietors of these institutions".
"Universities are centres of excellence anywhere in the world and ours should not be an exception. The policy witnessed in University of Lagos is aimed at ensuring that our Universities admit only the top best as done globally. "
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