Lesson from 2014 UTME result

The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for candidates aspiring to gain admission to Nigerian universities has proved to be the barometer for measuring the true worth of candidates.

Despite the high marks scored by most of the candidates in their WAEC and NECO school certificate or GCE results, majority of them still cannot measure up to expectation in UTME conducted all over the country yearly.
More pathetic is the fact that the passing rate of candidates has continued to decline on a yearly basis. The result of the UTME conducted in April 2014 is a case in point.990,179 candidates applied for the paper and pencil test (PPT) and 25,325 for dual-based test (DBT), totalling 1,015,504 in 2014 as against 1,629,102 candidates who applied and sat for PPT and 15,008 who applied for the DBT, amounting to 1,644,110 in 2013.

In terms of scores, there is a decline in the performance of candidates. For instance, while 10 candidates scored 300 marks or above in 2013, such high scores were not obtained this year. Many candidates would be disappointed,considering the fact that while 127,017 candidates out of the 1,644,110 candidates who sat for the examination scored 1 – 159 marks in 2013, as many as 397,439 out of the 1,015,504 scored 1 -159 marks in 2014.
This declining performance should be of concern to students, parents, education planners and institutions. What is surprising is that over 90 per cent of the candidates have already passed WAEC or NECO school certificate and GCE examinations in at least five subjects including thefour subjects they are tested in the UTME.

The failure of candidates to score at least 50 per cent in each of the four subjects which would have translated to 200 marks has only exposed them as people who do not acquire knowledge but pass school certificate at all costs.
Poor performance in public examination generally exposes the true quality of our teachers. They are the processors. If we do not get good product we should ask them questions. Perhaps their style of teaching, the methodology and the classroom environment would need to be reviewed for better results.

The quality of teachers influences the quality of teaching. Are our teachers qualified? Are they properly rewarded?Teachers are not just trained people, but professionals with the flair, passion, and motivation to pass knowledge to others.
Even when private schools charge as much as N1 million per annum, their products have not shown any sign of superiority
We advise the government to see education not just as a social service but as an industry. They should provide the enabling environment for learning to take place. As an industry, the best hands should be employed for utmost results. The right structure must be put in place. Teachers should be seen as processors, there must also be a place for quality control. Students may be the “raw materials” but they should ultimately become quality products. It is by so doing that the essence of setting up schools will be achieved.

Professionally qualified teachers should be recruited, trained and retrained for maximum result. School should realize that teachers are not just certificated by colleges but a person who is a teacher in its totality.
Students must be guided to prioritise education above football, home-movies and music spectatorship. They should spend more time learning in school, do their homeworks and be encouraged to read extensively.