The prevalence of bribery, examination malpractice, unqualified and inadequate teachers are some of the reasons why educational development in Nigeria remains in the doldrums. We may also add the insidious political actions of office holders as another factor why improvement in the academic standards of the country will remain a pipe dream. There were two separate incidents recently that strengthen my opinion.
The first was the announcement by the Federal Government that the cut-off marks for admission into Nigerian Universities had been pegged at 180 out of 400 marks obtainable at the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). 180 marks represent 45% of the total marks obtainable. Most institutions before now had stuck to 200 marks cut off which represents 50% of the total marks obtainable as a criterion for admission. It was therefore some respite to millions of candidates who had failed to score up to 200 marks in the recently conducted UTME.
There was no sensible explanation given by the authorities as regards the reduction of the cut-off mark, but the reasons are too obvious to be ignored. Most Nigerian students no longer read or study to pass examinations.They rather depend on examination malpractice which produces half baked and ill equipped graduates. The recent Introduction of Computer Based Test (CBT) into the UTME has been the greatest undoing of most candidates. The CBT checkmates malpractice and makes it extremely difficult for many students to pass.
The truth about the reduction in the cut off mark is that so many candidates failed so woefully in the just concluded UTME that it would have been impossible to stick to the erstwhile 200 marks cut off. Had that been done, a greater percentage would never smell the four walls of any university. The government then had no choice than to lower the marks to allow more dullards into the Universities. The issue of examination not being a true test of knowledge does not even apply here.
The problem I have with this cut-off mark issue is that lowering admission requirements is like reducing the quality of materials used in construction. Your guess is as good as mine. The academic world is a place where lowering of standards cannot be expected to produce anything less than mediocrity.
I would have expected the cut-off marks to remain at 200 so that those who do not meet up can go and look elsewhere to fulfill their dreams in life. A popular musician has recently and rightly said that school is not for everyone. Another pertinent question that also needs to be answered is how we hope to place our graduates in competition with their counterparts from more serious and balanced academic climes.
The second incident was the cancellation of Teachers’ Competency Test and the recall of over 900 sacked teachers by the Edo State government. This one was the handiwork of teachers in the state under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) supported by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The idea of the Competency Test was conceived when the governor in an unscheduled visit to a school found out that a teacher could not read what was on her certificate. The NUT kicked against the idea and accused the governor of witch-hunting bread winners of families.
In their pathetic argument, they talked about the training and retraining of teachers, provision of infrastructure and welfare packages etc, lack of which hindered the teachers from performing well. After the political battles, the governor cancelled the test to the joy of the teachers who claimed they could now sleep in peace, another case of lowering of standards to accommodate mediocre.
How does the training and retraining of a teacher help him/her learn how to read and write? Should a teacher, who has gone through school, learn again to read and write? Obviously no, I believe that the competency test should have been written so that those who cannot meet up be encouraged to go into other profitable professions for them.
At all cost, standards in education must be maintained and mediocrity discouraged as education remains the bedrock of any society’s development.
Besidone Ebule
07030335501
nichebule@yahoo.com
×
![]()