Withdrawal of 2016 JAMB admission list a national embarrassment, demoralising – Don

An educationist, Dr Victor Akinola, on Wednesday criticised the withdrawal of admission lists by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from tertiary institutions in the country.

Akinola, the Director, Information and Communication Technology at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos, described the withdrawal as an embarrassment.

He spoke against the backdrop of the recent withdrawal of the 2016/2017 admission lists from tertiary institutions by JAMB.

      JAMB had on July 30 withdrawn the lists of recommended candidates for admissions earlier sent to the tertiary institutions.

Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Head of Media had in a statement explained that the withdrawal was to ensure that the various university senates perform their statutory responsibility.

“The withdrawal could have been avoided if the board had planned well before the scrapping of post-UTME.

“The candidates whose names had been sent earlier to the universities would definitely be demoralised.

         “This unfolding event could have been avoided if there had been proper planning by the board before the scrapping of post UTME,’’ he told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“Democratically, universities should have an upper hand in determining the students to be admitted following the laid down rules and objectives.’’

The don said the opportunity now given to tertiary institutions to choose their candidates should have been the first thing to do before the post-UTME was scrapped.

According to Akinola, the federal government does not have monopoly in terms of admission of candidates into higher institutions.

He noted that the federal government could only regulate admissions into its own institutions for balancing.

“So also states, regions, individuals, corporate bodies, missionaries establish institutions for different motives and objectives.

“The proprietors have their own focus and objectives that do not reflect the federal government’s interest.

“The best the government can do is to allow the proprietors to set the criteria for admitting students based on set objectives,’’ Akinola said. (NAN)