The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set 140 as the minimum cut-off score for 2024 admissions into universities across the country.
The Registrar of the Board, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, disclosed this after the deliberations by stakeholders at the 2024 Policy Meeting on Admissions to Tertiary Institutions on Thursday in Abuja.
Oloyede said 100 had been approved as minimum admissible scores into Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.
The registrar explained that the aforementioned points were the minimum, but that did not mean that institutions must comply with it.
This comes after over 70 per cent of the candidates that participated in this year’s exam scored below 200.
The total score for the UTME is 400, comprising four subjects chosen by a candidate to determine his/her eligibility for tertiary education in their desired field.
Oloyede who announced the result on April 29, 2024, said over 1.9m candidates sat the examination, which took place in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, only 1,842,464 of the candidates had their results released.
He noted that “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above, while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”
While the average mark should ideally be 200 out of 400, the fact that 1,402,490 candidates fell below this benchmark raises significant concerns.
Following the release of these results and information, Nigerians showed their displeasure by actively engaging in discussions to identify potential reasons for the widespread failure and offer suggestions to various stakeholders, including the government, JAMB, parents, schools, teachers, and CBT owners, among others.
Dr. Ifeanyi Onyike, HOD of the Department of Mass Communication at Dominican University Ibadan, criticized the UTME results as a reflection of Nigeria’s current state. He blamed the Federal Government’s neglect of the education sector, citing policy inconsistencies and frequent changes in educational systems.
Onyike also condemned JAMB for lowering cut-off marks, which he argued allowed academically weak students to pass easily. He highlighted a range of issues contributing to educational decline, including poor teacher treatment, inadequate school supervision, indifferent parental attitudes, and inadequate facilities. He emphasized that addressing these issues collectively was crucial to improving educational standards in Nigeria.
Mr. Oludotun Sodunke, President of the Association of Tutorial and School Operators, attributed declining education quality and UTME success rates to economic challenges in Nigeria.
He highlighted issues such as insufficient preparation time for the exam, lack of access to educational resources due to economic constraints, and inadequate training in Computer-Based Testing (CBT). Sodunke also expressed concern over security threats impacting students’ ability to study effectively.
He called for JAMB to discontinue the practice of using awaiting results for underage candidates who haven’t completed their school leaving exams. Echoing this sentiment, Mr. Yomi Otubela, Proprietor of Lagooz Schools in Lagos, emphasized the impact of resource limitations and technical challenges during exams, like network failures.
Dr. Onyiuke proposed a state of emergency in education to improve teacher quality and suggested revising admission criteria to prioritize higher-scoring candidates for different educational levels. He questioned the effectiveness of academically weak teachers in nurturing bright students and advocated for better salaries to attract talented educators.
Dr. Bola Obe, Proprietor of Platform Schools in Lagos, recommended adopting exam-focused teaching methods and integrating past questions into curriculum. Otubela stressed the need for upgraded study materials and infrastructure at exam centers, along with stricter measures for poorly performing CBT centers.
Overall, these stakeholders emphasized systemic improvements in teaching quality, exam preparation, and infrastructure as critical to enhancing UTME performance and educational outcomes in Nigeria.
