The Nigerian Senate has summoned the minister of Education, JAMB Registrar and University of Nigeria VC over alleged unwholesome practices by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The Upper Legislative Chamber says the move is to curtail the practice of undisclosed admissions and other unwholesome practices by the board and universities, particularly the University of Nigeria Nsukka UNN.
These resolutions of the upper chamber follows debate on a motion by Senator representing Ebonyi North, Peter Nwebonyi.
The Lawmaker states that the authorities of Tertiary Institutions, in connivance with some JAMB officials have reverted to the practice of provisional admissions into prized professional courses like medicine and surgery, pharmacy, law, Engineering, nursing science, with a view to shortchanging some students already offered admission in exchange for gratification
Senator Nwebonyi cited the case of one Miss Chinyere Ekwe and 250 others who were admitted to study medicine and surgery at the University of Nigeria Niukka but had their admissions truncated on the order of Jamb for no reason, after they had completed the admission processes and resumed lectures.
He says Miss Ekwe scored 291 in the 2019 UTME and 300 in the university’s post-UTME, which qualified her for the course, and was subsequently admitted by the university
He further informed the senators that Chinyere Ekwe was transferred to the department of Medical Laboratory Science on the ground that if her cumulative grade point is up to 4.5 points after the first year, she would be transferred back to medicine and surgery
However, despite the fact that she surpassed the 4.5 threshold, her admission status is still not yet certain as to whether she is duly admitted in the Department of Medicine and Surgery or medical laboratory science
He says these children who had good grades in their UTME are being made to pay the necessary fees, undergo the rigorous processes of registration and matriculation, resume lectures, and sometimes, even take semester examinations, only to be transferred to other less competitive courses by the universities in connivance with JAMB without any explanations
After the debate, the leadership of the Senate declined adopting any of the prayers recommending that motion be referred to the committees on public petitions and tertiary Institutions for further legislative action.
Both committees are expected to invite the officials of JAMB, UNN and the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, in the course of the probe to explain the circumstances surrounding the ‘undisclosed admission’ phenomenon and report back in two weeks.
(Editor: Ena Agbanoma)
