By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

Tertiary institutions have been allowed to determine the deadline for the 2022 admissions due to the status of 2021 admissions.

The decision was reached at the end the 2022 Policy meeting and 2020 National Tertiary Admissions Performance-Merit Award programme organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Abuja.

Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), some Vice Chancellors suggested that each university should be made to determine the closing date for the 2022 admissions into the institution, giving opportunities for universities yet to conclude 2021 admissions to end the process.

The Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Prof. Ishaya Tanko, said that in spite of the fact that ASUU strike might soon end; there was need to make plans that would accommodate and address pending admissions in some universities.

Tanko said that some tertiary institutions had not done admission for year 2021 and students waiting for these admissions, adding that the 2022 admissions may not be concluded by Dec. 31.

“It was important to consider the ASUU strike and the 2022 admissions because some universities were yet to conclude the 2021 admissions.

“So at the policy meeting, we suggested and adopted that each institution will determine the closing of admissions into their various universities because we do not know when the strike will be called off.

“We are very optimistic following the recent meetings stakeholders had with President Muhammadu Buhari that it would soon be called off,” he said.

On the university cut-off marks, Tanko said that the benchmarks would provide common ground for all institutions and as well rescue candidates of first and second generation universities.

Also, the Vice chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, called for caution in efforts to sustain high standard at admission points into all levels of tertiary institutions.

Olarinde said that institutions must take caution while improving on efforts to reposition higher education and bring back the quality and standard education

“I stated in my contribution that 200 minimum cut-off mark shall represent 30 per cent, however some universities opined that we should go as low as 100, which I totally disagreed with.

“Rather, I made a compromise that the minimum any university should go for cut-off mark is 150 and I felt strongly about it , we receive graduates at discriminatory entry point, applicants with different scores ,this is not acceptable when you are looking to increase quality of graduates.

“We are all churning out degree holders and these set of people must have a good solid foundation at the admission point into tertiary institutions, left for me it should have been 200, I made a compromise of 150,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Charles Esimone, expressed confidence in the ability of the cut-off marks to enrol qualified students at all levels of higher institutions.

According to him, some of us move very strongly for the particular cut-off because sometimes when you go for something higher you will not be able to come lower.

“A cut-off of 140 does not mean you must take somebody that score 140 but it gives you the latitude in case there are applicants who for some reasons do not fill into particular course and they can be considered.

“For some of us that compromise, it became necessary because we have institutes that are affiliated to us, if you have College of Education that are affiliated to you and you go higher that means you are disenfranchising them ,it means every candidate that chose your school must meet the minimum standard,” he said .

The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while revealing the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Admissions, said a total of 1,351,284 candidates applied to study in higher institutions, while another 76,925 students applied for the Direct Entry.

Oloyede said out of this number, 715 scored 300 above, 590 candidates secured admissions while 125 of them were not admitted, given 600,000 as the target for the 2021 admission.

“A total of 20,377 candidates scored 250-299, 152 of them were admitted while 20,225 did not get admission.

“In the category of 200-249, a total of 144,856 candidates made the score, 79,338 of them were admitted while 65,518 failed to get admission,” he said.

He added that ASUU strike had been a major factor many institutions were yet to begin the 2021 admission in spite of repeated appeals.

On the availability of admission quota, he said a total of 774,411 quota was available across the universities for the 2021 admissions, 484,625 was available at the NCE level, 194,196 for National Diploma, while 22,500 spaces were opened to be filled at the ND level.

“Out of this total figure of 1,475,732 quotas, only 429,351 admissions were secured leaving unused quota at 1,050,322 as at 14th July, 2022,” the Registrar added. (NAN)

Update news