Posted on: 12:19 Thu, 30 Jun 2016



The Academic Staff Union of Universities,
ASUU, on Wednesday, kicked against the
Federal Government’s directive for tertiary
institutions to scrap the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, Post-UTME, for admission of candidates for the 2016/2017 academic session, saying the quality of tertiary education in the country could improve if the institutions are allowed to regulate their
students admission process.

ASUU President, Comrade Biodun Ogunyemi, said such freedom would enhance the quality of education.

Recall that at a recent joint policy meeting to
decide the cut off mark for students seeking
admission into the universities, the government
announced the scrapping of post-unified
tertiary matriculation examination (UTME).
The Post UTME is the second stage of
screening usually conducted by universities for
the final selection of candidates qualified for
admission for an academic session.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu
had threatened to sanction any university or
tertiary institution found conducting
examinations under any guise to admit
students.

He further directed tertiary institutions that had
collected money from candidates for such
purposes to immediately refund it or face
appropriate sanctions.

The ASUU boss told NAN that such directive
encroached on the autonomy of the
institutions.

“I think government should give these
institutions the chance to regulate themselves,”
he said.

“They should decide for themselves, the
process they dim fit to admit their students.
The Senate of universities for example, should
decide on the process they want to use in
selecting candidates.

“We do not think it’s right for government to
decide the method of screening of the
candidates, indeed, we want to attain some
level of sanity and quality in the system.”

The unionist added that government could only
come into the process by putting in place the
necessary guidelines as part of their oversight
functions.

According to him, it may not also be easy for
institutions that had already collected money
for the conduct of the post-UTME or screening
in whatever guise to refund such money.

He added that this was because such money
could have been diverted to other purposes.

Ogunyemi noted that most universities were
under-funded and therefore, might have used
some of the money to attend to urgent needs
of the institution.

“Some of the arguments raised in this entire
episode is that universities or tertiary
institutions were using the conduct of such
examination to make money,” he said.

“But the truth is, these institutions are poorly
funded. If universities for example are properly
funded, will the vice-chancellors be looking for
other means of making money?

“In the last seven months, university workers
have been receiving incomplete salaries, that
is, the disbursement of funds for payment of
salaries has always been inadequate.

“When situations like this arise, the
managements will not be left with any choice
than to look inwards and seek means of
meeting such needs.
“And one of such strategies is by conducting
such examination.”

Ogunyemi noted that the state universities
were worst hit for many of them had yet to
receive subvention in the last one year.

“Actually we in ASUU frown at extortion of any
type from students or candidates but the
government too should be alive to its
responsibilities by providing the enabling
environment that will aid teaching, leaning and
research.”