Minister Of Education orders refund of Post-Utme fees

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu
Adamu has directed all tertiary
institutions that have conducted post-UTME examination to immediately refund money taken from candidates.


The minister has also declared that post-UTME examinations already
taken are null and void; threatening
that any institution caught still
conducting the examination under
any guise would be sanctioned. The minister made this position
known yesterday, in a press statement issued by Deputy Director Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong.

The strong-worded statement reiterated the Ministry’s position that post-UTME examinations have been cancelled with immediate effect and no institution should conduct such
examinations.

The minister warned that once the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has certified a candidate worthy of admission into any of the tertiary institutions, that candidate must be deemed fit by the institution.

According to the statement, students who have already been offered admission by JAMB may be screened by the institutions but this must not involve the conduct of any other entry examination. The candidates can be screened by verifying their certificates
but not through the conduct of
examinations.

The minister stated that it is
unnecessary to subject students to
further examinations when they have been offered examinations by JAMB since they will still have to go through between eight or 12-semester examinations through out their four to six years study in the institutions.

The minister, therefore, directed the
National Universities Commission
(NUC) and appropriate departments in the Ministry to communicate the
directive to relevant agencies and
institutions to ensure strict compliance. “Those who have already advertised
for the conduct of the Post-UTME
under any guise should stop the
exercise immediately as any university caught conducting Post-UTME will face appropriate sanctions. If any tertiary institution has already conducted
Post-UTME, such an exercise stands
annulled and money taken from such candidates must be refunded
immediately”, the Minister said.

The directive to stop the post-UTME
examinations was given by the
minister nearly a month ago. The
minister said through the statement
that it was important to emphasise the directive in order to ensure that no stakeholder is left in doubt as to
government’s position on the matter.

He affirmed that the responsibility for admission into public tertiary
institutions lies solely with JAMB and
under no circumstance whatsoever,
should anybody or institution take
over that responsibility by proxy.

“The ban is with immediate effect, and under no circumstance should any institution violate the directive”. “Any educational institution after
secondary education is regarded as a tertiary institution. Therefore all
tertiary institutions, Polytechnics,
Colleges of Education, Universities or by whatever name it is called after secondary education must be
subjected to admission through the
JAMB.

At the end of probationary admission by JAMB, the candidates can be cleared (screened) for final admission. For any institution with a shortfall in admission, such institution can revert
to JAMB for supplementary
admission”.

“Clearing in this case (screening)
entails only the verification of
certificates of the candidates, JAMB
scores, and any other physical
examination to ensure that such
candidates are not cultists. After this, the candidates are qualified for
matriculation. Such screening should be at no cost to the parents or students and should be done upon resumption in order to avoid
unnecessary travels in search of admission”, the minister said. For secondary school leavers who are
seeking admission into the tertiary
institutions, Malam Adamu said that
subjecting them to too many
examinations all in one year, is
traumatic, exploitative and absolutely unnecessary. This is besides the cost of travelling, hotel accommodation
and examination fees that parents
have to incur in their bid to secure
admission for their ward.

Source: The guardian