Aggrieved parents and students who are applying for the 2015/2016 post UTME exams this morning gathered at the entrance gate of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, in a peaceful protest for their ineligibility to register for the post UTME exam.

The university has just recently opened sales of her post UTME exam forms, resulting in the decision of some candidates wishing to attend the university to purchase the forms, having scored the required 180 cut off mark as announced by JAMB. Surprisingly however, the prospective students were unable to apply for the exam, as the university has raised its cut off mark to 250, depending on catchment and course of study, contrary to the 180 cut off mark that was recently announced by JAMB.

On its website, the university also explained that because many students made it their first choice, not all of them would be admitted to the school, as some of them would be redirected to other institutions with few candidates. According to the university, they would only accept all those that would be on the list, which JAMB would send to them in line with an agreement it reached with the higher education exam body. These are the students that would be eligible to seat for the post UTME screening exams.

Professor Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar of JAMB, who explained the rationale behind the new policy of reassining students from their choice universities to other institutions, said it would be beneficial to the students who would have better chances for admission in the universities they are reassigned to and to universities with lower number of candidates than their capacities, as this will ensure that these universities will have more candidates to admit.

But as the protesters insisted, posting students to other universities other than their choice is illegal. They claimed that after meeting the requirement of 180 cut off mark, it would be unjust to hinder them from being screened for the university of their choice as some them do not even know what university they have been reassigned to. With placards with different inscriptions such as “Why is Jamb Registrar Dibu posting candidate from 5 federal universities to private universities of his own choice for post jamb?” “Oga Dibu university is by choice not by force,” the students and their parents called on president Buhari to intervene.

The UNILAG stance has generated debate among Nigerians. While some are in support of the university on the ground that students should study hard to get the mark, others are against the development, saying it would encourage double standard. They also believe that the UNILAG decision contravenes the law and is unjust to students who have scored even above the required 180 but below the 250 cut off mark of the university.

In the meantime, affected students and their parents are hopeful that government would come to their rescue by prevailing on the university to retrace its steps.

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