Lecturers oppose JAMB’s 140 minimum mark

Lecturers nationwide have criticised the newly announced minimum acceptable Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board 140 score as a demeaning threshold that can plunge the education sector into turmoil.

The 140 mark is 30 per cent of the total 400 mark.

On July 18, 2024, JAMB and other stakeholders in the education sector pegged the minimum benchmark score for admission into universities at 140 and 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education.

Also, JAMB in an X message while describing the 140 mark said, “There’s no such thing as ‘cut-off mark’ in the admission process to tertiary institutions in Nigeria, what’s obtainable is minimum tolerable score determinable by individual institutions.”

On the contrary, President, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke in an interview with our correspondent said it was descending admitting students with scores as low as 30 per cent.

“So why are we descending to this level where universities are admitting candidates who scored as low as 30 per cent in their exams? When you look at reputable institutions like the University of Ibadan and Obafemi Awolowo University, they won’t accept anything less than 200. Yet, some universities, especially newer private ones, admit students with scores as low as 140.

This situation is widespread across the country, not just in the north. Many schools are lowering their admission standards.”

He complained about the quality of teachers at the secondary school level, saying,

“My concern isn’t just about JAMB scores. It’s about the quality of education from primary to secondary school. How can we expect quality teaching when teachers are paid as little as N16,000 a month in government schools? This is a national disaster. Nigeria urgently needs to declare a state of emergency in education.

“Back in the day, you couldn’t even dream of getting into a good school with a score below 200. But now, government schools at all levels are struggling, and admissions are increasingly going to private institutions that operate on a cash-and-carry basis. If action isn’t taken soon, our universities will continue to decline.”

Chairman of ASUU at Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Tony Odiwe,  emphasised that the 140 mark would have a detrimental impact on both the quality of students and the educational system.

He added, “The national cutoff marks are set, but they are not necessarily followed by most established universities. For instance, at OAU, the cutoff is not less than 200 to even qualify for post-UTME or admission consideration. This discrepancy implies a potential negative effect on student quality and overall educational standards.”

Head of the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos, Prof. Poju Tejumaiye, criticised the 140 mark as indicative of the education system’s failure.

He suggested that JAMB should reconsider its minimum score to 40 per cent, which would equate to 160 out of 400, instead of the current 30 per cent.

He said, “It is distressing and unfortunate. Scoring below 40 percent reflects a significant decline in our educational standards. This decision merely encourages a ‘spoil system’ rather than meritocracy. JAMB should revert to a minimum of 40 percent, aligning with the pass mark in Nigerian higher institutions. The Ministry of Education should prioritize teacher training and encourage professional development courses. School curricula should also be updated to reflect modern perspectives.”

Academic linguist, and writer, University of Ibadan, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, said, “JAMB is not designed as a competency or skills test but as an entrance selection tool for institutions. The minimum score it sets should not be a primary concern; rather, we should focus on the scores from WAEC and NECO. The key issue is ensuring there is a reasonable correlation between these exams and JAMB results, which indicates the credibility of these assessments.

“Secondly, JAMB sets a minimum benchmark that institutions can exceed by setting higher admission standards, as many already do. Thirdly, the actual scores for admission into most courses are often significantly higher than JAMB’s minimum requirements.

Furthermore, high-demand courses typically have very competitive percentile ranges for admission. Therefore, there should be less concern over JAMB’s minimum score.

Finally, it’s important to note that all institutions conduct post-UTME examinations, which serve as a final verification of candidates’ capabilities.”