Prof Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has cautioned tertiary institutions, particularly universities, to halt admission of underage students, characterising the trend as “illegal.”
He stated that illegal admission, such as admitting underage, should be prohibited.
Oloyede made the statement on Tuesday in Lagos, at the opening of the seventh biennial conference of Nigeria’s Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities.
The conference’s theme was “Effective University Governance: Role of Stakeholders.”
He stated that this act needs to be repealed for the purposes of accountability, data protection, and national integrity, as anything irregular was illegal.
“About two months ago, I received a letter from an European country to confirm if a student actually graduated from a particular university because she is 15 years old and applied for postgraduate course.
“The question they asked me is “Is this possible in Nigeria?”
“I had to call the Vice Chancellor of the institution and he confirmed the student graduated from the university but was not admitted by JAMB.
“He had to include that he was not the VC at the time the student was admitted,” Oloyede said.
He emphasised that state-owned universities, which outnumber federal universities, must do more to address this issue.
“Also illegal admission of diploma students needs to stop because last year, we admitted 9,000 diploma students; I was alarmed that about 3,000 students came from a particular university.
“Everyone of us should be accountable because all these acts can damage our education system,” Oloyede said.
Prof Ibrahim Gambari, former Chief of Staff to the President, advised the pro-chancellors to devise a strategy for making their institutions as competent and appealing as federal and private universities.
Gambari stated that doing so allowed them to retain some of the greatest instructors and staff, attracting the best from the pool of eligible students.
“State owned universities must explore how best to carve out specific niches which inevitably place them in a position to exploit corresponding comparative advantages that enhance their position.
“Successfully executing this , a foundation for brand creation and recognition is ascertained,” he said.
Senator Joshua Lidani, COPSUN Chairman, stated that the theme addressed a wide range of concerns related to university governance.
Lidani, Pro-Chancellor of Gombe State University, stated that there are now various issues confronting the university system and tertiary education in general.
“Some of these challenges include: corrupt practices, impersonation, miracle exam centres, inadequate funding, proliferation of universities.
“Others were discriminate and premature dissolution of governing councils and boards of tertiary educational institutions and delay in reconstituting them,” he said.
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Apart from the illegality of these acts, Lidani went on to say that a big vacuum was frequently left in the institution’s management, resulting in all kinds of irregularities.
“Incessant strike action by ASUU and other labour unions and the attendant consequences in stability, quality and standards.
“These are definitely not exhaustive but are symptomatic of the deep malaise that is affecting the system and extent of the problem.
“Of course, this conference alone will not be able to address the problem but it can raise public consciousness and alarm at the threat posed to good governance, standards and quality in the tertiary educational system.
“I have no doubt that the conference can point the way forward and advise on the way stakeholders can play a better and rightful role in uplifting the standards of education in the country,” he said. (NAN)
