This article was initially published in Businessday newspaper in August 2011. I consider it relevant again this period hence the re-posting. Upon the release of the 2011/2012 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, I have received several telephone calls and text messages from friends and even those whom I have never met.
They sought to know the next step to take as they prepare for admission into the different higher institutions of learning of their choices.They all want first-hand information about the dreaded Post-UTME (cut-off marks, past-question papers), and other relevant academic issues dwelling on school fees, accommodation, etc. Even as I write this piece, I have received two telephone calls - one from a friend and another from a teacher in my former secondary school. The former needed past question papers and the latter wanted information about where to get a JAMB change-of-course scratch card. I had to postpone my appointment with the former so as to be able to complete this piece.
It is instructive at this point to intimate the prospective undergraduates of what to expect. It is not unlikely that the necessary machinery has been instituted in various schools nationwide by the relevant authorities to ensure the proper conduct of the examination. Though without a legal backing, the POST-UTME has become a major secondary screening tool for new school leavers seeking admission into higher institutions of learning.
Usually in different schools, some people parade themselves as ‘admissions officers’. They claim to be affiliated to the Universities, Polytechnics, or Colleges of Education’s Admissions Offices. They lure the eager ‘JAMB Graduates’ into making monetary payments for admission assistance. They also promise prospective undergraduates the necessary assistance that would enable them score high marks in the POST-UTME. More disappointingly, some respectable members of staff also involve in such dirty deals. Such members of staff often get fired when found culpable of admission fraud as was recorded in the University of Lagos in 2008.
Parents and guardians also engage the services of these unscrupulous ‘admission touts’ as virtually every one erroneously thinks that ‘connection’ does it all. Tutorial centres (some of which are actually Cheating Centres) also render consultancy services pertaining to admission assistance. They promise direct admission into higher institutions and one might be tempted to conclude that they are genuinely affiliated to the various higher institutions in the country. The well-meaning ‘JAMB graduates’ should therefore, expect pressures from various quarters, which incite them to seek admission assistance through ‘connection’ and other related fraudulent means.
In the end, the outcomes of these arrangements are usually adverse. The expectant undergraduates are often at the receiving end. Many a time, they are left in the lurch by the ‘promising admission officers’. Even when the admission is secured, the students often become undergraduates who must grapple with poor grades in the higher institution. This is because they are usually unable to cope with the academic rigours exerted on them. Others continue with the act of examination malpractices and sooner than later, they get caught and are made to face the school’s examinations misconduct panel. Usually, they get axed as they are often suspended, rusticated or ultimately expelled or, more leniently, advised to withdraw. This was recorded recently during the 2010/2011 academic session at the University of Lagos and at the University of Ilorin in the year 2010 where students were advised to withdraw or even rusticated for various examination-related offences.
It is high time students got it right! As they prepare for the POST-UTME, candidates should ignore those backdoor admission channels that sometimes lead to extortion, rape, etc. They should visit the websites of their chosen institutions, read newspapers, and listen to the radio for up-to-date information about the exams. In a situation where the candidate’s choice of institution is not within her or his local residence, telephone calls should be made constantly to any friend or colleague in such schools for information. This would prevent instances where students fail to show up for exams due to inadequate or wrong information about exam dates, time, and venue. Furthermore, productive time should be spent on serious studying rather than seeking ‘help’ where there is actually none.
In conclusion, I seize this opportunity to congratulate, in advance, the few students who would finally gain admission to fill the limited available spaces in the higher institutions nationwide. I implore these prospective undergraduates to be focused in their pursuit of academic excellence. Particularly for those targeting the coveted First Class degree, planning to be a first class graduate begins now! They should prepare to become seasoned graduates, fit, not only for the labour market, but also for entrepreneurship and personal wealth creation. They should be prepared to attend inaugural lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, and other trainings as they come during their stay on campus.
These are necessary preparation requirements geared towards sharpening their intellectual minds, thereby preparing them for the world outside the walls of the university environment. This piece would be incomplete if I fail to inform them to prepare their minds for distractions and stress that they would definitely be confronted with while on campus. The distractions start from the entrance gate of the higher institution.
As for me, it’s been an activity-filled-four-year sojourn in the campus. I cannot wait to write my final exams and then bid First Degree goodbye.
Written by: Anani Sunday
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