ASUU threatens to cancel Post UTME in Universities

Thousands of students who wrote the
university-organised matriculation
examinations, commonly called Post-UME,
during university lecturers strike may have
engaged in a futile exercise and may be
forced to re-write the examination as
lecturers complain they had no input in the
exercise.
Speaking at a press conference called by
the Ibadan Zone of the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) at the Lagos
State University, Ojo, the Zonal
Coordinator, Adesola Nassir, said the
leadership of the universities that have
conducted the examination hurriedly did so
because of the financial gains accruable
from the candidates.
"It is an abnormality," he said. "How can
you hold such an important examination
without the input of academic staff," he
asked.
"Vice-chancellors are employing non-
academic staff and consultant to do Post-
UME. They are doing it because of money.
The exam already constitutes a crisis-point
in the universities."
Mr. Nassir said the "results from the
examination may be jettisoned."
After writing the government sanctioned
Universal Tertiary Matriculation
Examination (UTME), most individual
universities in Nigeria require students to
pass internally organised matriculation
examinations called Post-UME.
In most cases, an average a student's score
from both examinations is considered
before the student is granted admission.
This arrangement started in 2005 over
complaints about the falling standard of
UTME by universities.
The Ibadan Zone of ASUU comprises
University of Lagos (UNILAG), University
of Ibadan (UI), Olabisi Onabanjo
University (OOU), Lagos State University
(LASU), University of Agriculture,
Abeokuta (UNAAB), and Tai Solarin
University of Education (TASUED).