ASUU opposes scrapping of post-UTME

THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says the quality of tertiary education in the country could improve if the institutions are allowed to regulate their students’ admission process.

The union’s National President, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that if that was done, the quality of education would be better.

Ogunyemi spoke to NAN against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s decision to come up with a uniform guideline for admission of candidates for the 2016/2017 academic session.

NAN reported that the Minister of Education had at a recent joint policy meeting to decide the cut off mark for students seeking admission into the universities, announced the scrapping of post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Post UTME is the second stage of screening usually conducted by universities for the final selection of candidates qualified for admission for an academic session.

The minister, Adamu Adamu, had said in a statement that he would sanction any university or tertiary institution found conducting examinations under any guise to admit students.

He further directed tertiary institutions that had collected money from candidates for such purposes to immediately refund it or face appropriate sanctions.

The minister said if any tertiary institution had already conducted any form of examination, such an exercise stood annulled.

The ASUU boss told NAN that such directive encroached on the autonomy of the institutions.

“I think government should give these institutions the chance to regulate themselves.

“They should decide for themselves the process they dim fit to admit their students.

“The Senate of universities for example, should decide on the process they want to use in selecting candidates.

“We do not think it is right for government to decide the method of screening of the candidates, indeed, we want to attain some level of sanity and quality in the system,” he said.