Paul Obi in Abuja
Amid criticisms that have continue to trail the federal government’s cancellation of the Post-Tertiary Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Post-UTME) , the government yesterday in Abuja explained the rationale behind the recent abolition of Post-UTME, stating that it supports the Information Communication Technology (ICT) at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who made the clarification, contended that government abolished Post-UTME to enable JAMB concentrate on quality admission examination for entry in the institutions of higher learning.
The minister, who spoke through the Director of Tertiary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Hajia Hindatu Abdullahi, during opening of partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) benchmarking capacity building workshop, stated that government was prompted to take the decision in an attempt to ensure that institutions of higher learning do not admit beyond their carrying capacity in order not compromise quality of education.
Adamu said: “The government continues to support the use of ICT and other forms of technology assisted learning in the delivery of quality education in Nigeria.
“We have a case where the government supports the ICT revolution at the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The Ministry of Education continues to strategise to improve on the quality of higher education in Nigeria.
“Most recently, the government abolished the Post – UTME to enable JAMB concentrate on the quality admission examinations for entry in the institutions of higher learning.”
The minister maintained that the federal government is also working towards the enhancement of skills and entrepreneurial studies in all institutions of learning in the country in order to overcome the challenges of joblessness after graduation.
“In the era of technology, you can agree with me that we are in an era where our lives are, to a great extent, defined by the innovations in the world of technology,” Adamu said
He further stressed that government is committed to ensuring that education sector becomes the real cornerstone of Nigeria’s national development, adding that government allocated a large share of the 2016 budget to education, hoping that the challenges confronting the sector would be transformed into opportunities through increased investment across board.
Meanwhile, Practice Manager, Eastern and Southern African, World Bank Group, Mrs. Sajitha Bashir, added bench marking will help African education programmes especially in areas of science, engineering and technology, as well improve skilled education in the continent.
The regional workshop was organised by the World Bank Education Team for sub-Saharan, under that partnership for skills in PASET, in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU), and NUC.
