Ayobami Adele scored 274 points in her university matriculation examination, the test organised by the Joint Admissions and Examinations Board (JAMB). But this high score did not guarantee her admission into the higher institution of her choice. She still needed to sit for a post-UME examination conducted by the University of Ado-Ekiti. On her journey from Lagos to Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, she got caught up in the chaotic Lagos-Ibadan traffic and this ultimately prevented her from writing the examination.

“The hold up started at the Redeemed church side on that Friday and I was going to Ado-Ekiti with my brother for the Post-UME,” she said. “They said some tankers were burning and that we cannot not pass. By the time we got there on Saturday, they had finished the exam and they started laughing at me asking me to go and take another form next year. I cried and cried, but nobody cares.” Ms. Adele’s added.

Her case is just one out of many hopes that the controversial post-UME examination has dashed since it was introduced in 2006. That year, following pressure from the Nigerian Universities Commission and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, the Federal Ministry of Education gave universities permission to conduct their own post-UME examinations as way of further screening applicants .

The scheme quickly ran into opposition, with some critics saying the schools are more interested in the money made from the examination, than the tests themselves. With over one million candidates enrolling for the Universities and Polytechnic Matriculation examination yearly, tertiary institutions are believed to be making more than N10billion a year from the exams. The universities charge students fees ranging from N2000 to N10,000 for the exams.

Two weeks ago, the House of Representatives gave a directive for the abolition of post-UME examination in universities. The lawmakers, after a debate on May 27, in Abuja, ordered the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission to abolish the examination,which they said is illegal, corrupt and substandard. The assembly also urged its committees on education and ethics to ensure that directive is obeyed and the exams stopped.

Authority to decide

A NEXT investigation however shows that schools continue to process applications for entry into the 2009/2010 academic session using scores from the internal exams they conducted. The council of vice-chancellors, which met shortly after the lawmakers issued their directive had made it clear that they were ready to flout the directive and would not comply.

According to Lagos-lawyer and human rights activist, Jiti Ogunye, the House of Representatives does not have the power to cancel the Post-JAMB examination. “My argument is that the House of Representatives alone, or in conjunction with the senate, cannot by a mere resolution declare that the Post-JAMB examination is forbidden. I am aware of the JAMB Act which says that it shall be the sole body to conduct examination and to place suitable candidate into the Universities. But that Act preceded the advent of private universities in Nigeria. The question now is that since these private universities are subscribing to University matriculation examination, something has changed and what are those things that should still change. In other words, that Act is largely anachronistic. It ought to have been revised a long time ago by this National Assembly. So instead of the House of Reps crying wolf by now passing a resolution that Post-JAMB examination has been cancelled, what it ought to do in conjunction with the senate is to revise that JAMB Act,” Mr. Ogunye said.

However, the registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Dibu Ojerinde, disagrees with Mr. Ogunye and says it is no longer desirable for universities to continue to organise private tests for applicants. “As of now, government says there must be a screening, so, we would still comply with the directive.’’ But according to Mr. Ojerinde, the fact that candidates can now select up to six institutions makes the idea of writing internal exams untenable. ‘‘ Are they going to go through six institutions for screening’’, Mr. Ojerinde asks rhetorically?

A Test and measurement specialist from the Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile-Ife, Mufutau Aminu, said the conduct of the internal exams are a huge challenge to intending students. “I do not think that it is bad for universities to conduct examinations, but I think there should be caution when you discover that the tests are not actually for ensuring standards but to rather allow double standards, or what do we call a situation where they do it to make money or boost relevance, Mr, Aminu asks? He then goes on to raise the issue of oversight which he says is dismal. “Another issue is that, I am not sure that government is also doing enough to monitor the examination bodies and also the schools. The same mistakes that the universities accused JAMB of making are also what they are doing now. It should be checked.”

Neglected NUC directive

The controversy surrounding the tests came to a head in 2007 when the National University Commission ordered the stoppage of the examination and also a refund of the money collected from students. In the memo, titled ‘Refund of Post-UME Screening Fees’ and signed by the executive secretary of the commission, Julius Okojie, the National Universities Commission (NUC) referred to an earlier advertorial that informed the universities of its decision on what it called government policies on the Post-UME ‘screening’.

The memo said, in part: “The screening exercise should not involve the administration of any formal text or examination; It should be at no cost to parents and their wards. For those who had concluded the exercise, all fees collected in respect of the exercise must be refunded to candidates. A comprehensive report on the post UME screening exercise must be forwarded to the Executive Secretary National Universities Commission, Abuja. NUC has received the reports from only a few universities. To reassure all stakeholders of Government’s concern on the matter, the Minister of Education has further directed that the issue of refund of the post-UME fees be addressed soonest.

Consequently, the NUC invites all candidates that paid any fee for the post-UME screening exercise to visit the NUC web site (www.nucnigeria.info) within two (2) weeks from the date of this advertisement to provide the relevant information that will be collated and cross-checked with the universities submissions/reports before such refunds can be made.”

At the time, none of the universities and polytechnic complied with the directives. According to Joseph Oke, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State, scrapping post-JAMB is actually not the right decision. His understanding of the directive, Mr. Oke said, was that it was meant to cap the sum charged for the internal exams. According to him, some of the schools actually abided by the instructions.

Commenting on the allegation that the exams have become means of extorting money, Mr. Oke insists this is wrong, “it is not exactly so. JAMB screening fully incorporates JAMB performance in the final examination criteria. It is meant to compliment what JAMB is doing. It is not to repeal it. That is why its scores cannot be detached from the internally conducted exams while collating the scores. So, it is like an improved mode of screening more or less restricted to the institutions, put in place to be able to tailor the process of admission to the need of individual institutions. That is exactly what it is all about, Mr. Oke said’’

Parents and students rejoice

Tola Taiwo, a 21-year-old student said the suspension of the university organised tests was long overdue, claiming that he had written the examination three times without success. “Most of the post-UME examinations are cumbersome and exploitative in nature, but with the abolition, candidates can now have easy admission into universities,” he said. “I am happy with the development because it was an obstacle in gaining admission into the university. I scored above 200 marks in my last UME examination, but in the post-UME result I scored below 200 and because of this I was denied admission.”

Another student, Wuraola Sanni, said the suspension of the examination was a relief to candidates seeking admission into universities while Florence Olabanji, a civil servant,said the suspension of the examination would reduce stress on parents of students seeking admission into universities, adding that the directive would also reduce the double expenses of paying for UME and post -UME separately. “The suspension of the examination is a welcome development,” she said. “Students would not need to travel far distances at great risks to sit for the examination and many eligible candidates that are routinely denied admission would now have hope of gaining admission.’’ However, a former student activist, Akin Iwilade said that the examination should not only be abolished, but all those involved in the venture of using it has a corrupt means of raking money should also be probed.

Just A business

When NEXT visited some private educational centres in Lagos, it was clear that the examinations are already a business avenue for educational contractors who have pasted posters around town promising students success in the tests.

Taiye Dolapo Yakub, a manager of one of the centres said he believes nothing would come out of the lawmakers’ directive. “The legislators always like to pay lip service. You will see that nothing will happen. Some schools will still conduct their own exams this weekend,” he said.

Post UME has come to stay; the sooner candidates get ready the better for them. The case of that candidate caught up in traffic holds no water as he who fails to prepare is preparing to fail. Next time for an exam on Saturday she should be in the vicinity by Thursday latest.