JAMB'S UTME 120 CUT-OFF MARK SMACKS OF BOKO HARAM'S ILLITERACY IDEALOGY!

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  

(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective)

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 6. NO 212. 3rd September, 2017.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

JAMB'S UTME 120 CUT-OFF MARK SMACKS OF BOKO HARAM'S ILLITERACY IDEALOGY!

One of the major demands by the Boko Haram Islamic Fundamentalists/Terrorists at the initial stage of their insurgency in Nigeria, was a total clampdown on the teaching of Western Education subjects in educational institutions to the entire population of the Northern States because of the "negative influences" they impacted on the religious traditions and cultures of the indigenous people!

But in spite of their brazen falsehood, concerted efforts by some concerned citizens (who were neither deceived nor blindfolded by the deceit), gave impetus to most parents, including those whose children/wards were restricted to the Internally Displaced People's (IDP's), camps who constructed make-shift classrooms and engaged teachers who taught Western education to their children, both at primary and secondary school levels!  While the war lasted, destruction of lives and properties, kidnappings and killing of Boys Secondary School Children, the abduction of about 276 Chibok Secondary School Girls on April 14, 2014; took frightening dimension and causality figures rose to over 1million - of both military and civilians most especially with the hit-and-run tactics of suicide bombings!

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Agency responsible for the conduct of examinations for entry into all Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education since its inception on 13th February, 1978, had religiously stuck to providing qualitative education through adherence to competiveness amongst all students irrespective of their geographic antecedent and had kept the compulsory CUT OFF MARKS between 180 - 200 out of 400, in all examinations; until some "Northern educators identified some educationally disadvantaged states" and requested that score marks be reduced to between 80 to 100, depending on classification!
Unfortunately now, we have a BLANKET COVER that will destroy COMPETIVENESS that should enhance Human Capital For National Development!

Over 1.6 million candidates annually applied for degree courses; while National Diploma records more than 17.000 and with the new policy in place, Polytechnics and Colleges candidates needed only 100 marks for admission while other institutions of higher learning should score 110, which is an average of 25% - although individual institutions could raise the BAR as they wished!
Should Nigeria's educational system be handled with such impropriety by those who should know better?

EDUCATED POLICY SOMERSAULT!
Did the policy architects forget that lowering of the figures would create false sense of SECURITY for lazy candidates, since 100 out of 400 marks is just a "piece of cake"? Was it an irony of fate that when the Ministry decided to lower educational standards, one 19-year-old Southern candidate scored 337 while another from Adamawa scored 308 - out of 400, in the just concluded 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)!

What informed the sudden change in official policy in the Change Administration which has identified that poverty and illiteracy were the twin evil disadvantages responsible for Boko Haram terrorism and also the prevalent ALMAJIRI SCORGE of about 20million children of school age who are still roaming the streets, nooks and crannies of the vast nation of Nigeria - the figures are highest in KANO and KADUNA presently!

Who advised the new Minister of Education to decree a new and strange policy of 120 cut off mark across board in a 21st Century world which boasts of high grade advanced technology where students acquire first degree at 12 and P hd. at 18?
Was the Presidency privy to this new position which is being resisted by all right-thinking educationists and patriotic Nigerians at large? 
Would the lowering of the cut-off mark from 180 to an absurd and very ridiculous figure of 100 - 120 provide the necessary impetus for the reasoning faculty and intellectual capacity required for the rigours of assimilation, studies, lectures and researches throughout the academic sessions when such students would sit in the same classrooms with their peers who scored over 300 cut off marks?

What we have witnessed in recent months were discordant tunes and cacophony of voices which have become very prevalent  among Nigeria's education policy makers!
Across the board rooms of the Federal Ministry of Education and one of its Agencies, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), contradictions in respect of this very serious national issue of tertiary education have been the order of the day!
In June 2016, the Federal Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu, who oversights JAMB, directed that Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), conducted by tertiary institutions should be scrapped possibly for the following public complaints:
(1) Exorbitant fee charges,
(2) Unprofessional and defective  invigilation,
(3) Manipulation of results,
(4) Bribing of officials to get admissions, and
(5) There was no basis for such DUPLICATION in the first instance since candidates qualified to write the UTME, and Five WAEC O Level Credits, inclusive of Mathematics and English!

But before the regimental fiat which had neither legal nor documentary backing/evidence, could take effect, Alhaji Adamu turned around to rescind his earlier order BUT this time, with humility and apology, that the cancellation was a mistake. In August 2017, at the Combined Policy Meetings on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria, he said, “the ban imposed on the test caused irregularities by candidates and some institutions." He however warned that the fee for the post-UTME examination should not exceed TWO THOUSAND NAIRA before releasing another bombshell of new cut off marks!
Before now, there was the furore over the alleged removal of Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK), from the Basic Education Curriculum and had become a theme in the Civic Education, while Islamic Arabic Studies/French had been introduced in the new curriculum. It was also alleged that pupils/students would be mandated to compulsorily study either Islamic Arabic Studies or French and that Christian students would have no option than the Islamic Arabic Studies, BUT the Minister denied all allegations! He said that the National Council on Education had accepted his proposal that CRK should be made compulsory for teaching and learning by Christian students while Islamic Arabic Studies should also be made compulsory for Muslim students.

According to the Minister, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), has called for A MINISTERIAL RETREAT ON ROADMAP FOR EDUCATION in order to have a holistic view on the FALLING STANDARD OF EDUCATION AND THE SOLUTIONS TO RESTORE ITS LOST GLORY!
We quote the Minister: "Initially, we had prepared a blueprint but FEC felt the issues are beyond that because there are crises in all the areas of education, in out-of-school children, in technical education and training, in ICT, in all the areas you can think of.
Ministers are going to start talking (within the next two weeks), to themselves and come out with solutions." This statement was made on 22nd June, 2017!

Could the controversial and contradictory lowering of cut off marks to 120 be one of the outcome of the MINISTERS RETREAT or that this quarrelsome policy was SMUGGLED out of the Minister's BLUEPRINT?
WE VEHEMENTLY CONDEMN THE OBNOXIOUS JAMB UTME CUT OFF MARK OF 120 AND REQUEST FOR PRESIDENTIAL INTERVENTION FOR A REVERSAL TO STATUS QUO ANTE AND A DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE CURRENT ACADEMIC DECADENCE WITH DELIBERATE REVOLUTION FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND STARK ILLITERACY WITH AN EDUCATED GENERATION OF INGENIOUS YOUTHS, MODERN SCIENTISTS AND WIZKIDS!

Further lowering of educational standards by the Federal Ministry of Education is a dis-service to the masses - especially the YOUTHS - who are divinely designated to become future leaders; and in a concerted voice, We declare this obnoxious policy null and void and of no effect!

"Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting, get understanding." (Proverbs.4:7).

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

Please look forward to divine revelations in  The Sure Word Gospel Tracts, Our divinely inspired books on the Amazon KINDLE Store Namely: The Unbroken Chain of Grace, Nigeria’s Pot Pourri (Volumes 1-5), Godly Politicking For World Peace,  and The Wedding Mascot Died. 

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.