Minister orders refund of post-UTME fees

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu

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 throughout 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-UTMNE 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 wards.