JAMB and the Rest of Us: What Every Student Must Know (II)

When JAMB first emerged in the Nigerian university system, there were only a few universities requiring its services. This is in stark contrast to today, where countless institutions have, by law, entrusted their admission tests to this organization. In addition to the increasing number of institutions served, the volume of candidates—most of whom are hopeful yet many of whom lack competence—raises concern for JAMB administrators. This concern is particularly pronounced considering the sensitivity of each step in the examination process. Fortunately, most individuals involved in this process have also been candidates for this examination in the past, which should help them empathize with the current candidates, at least in terms of their shared experiences.

Examinations serve as a significant test of character. They assess not only your understanding of the subject matter but also require you to demonstrate your competitive nature. In this light, you are in competition with not just yourself but also thousands of others hailing from diverse backgrounds. Achieving a passing mark is one thing; performing exceptionally well enough to secure admission into your desired program at your chosen institution is an entirely different challenge. In essence, each candidate faces immense pressure to perform at their best and submit an outstanding effort under the given circumstances.

Nigeria was far more stable in every way before JAMB, when I applied for a position in the pharmacy program at the University of Ife, which was then the sole pharmacy degree-granting institution in the country. The entire admission procedure was executed with the accuracy of a high-end Swiss watch. The necessary form was obtained, completed, and returned promptly well before the deadline.

My HSC grades fell within the permitted range. I waited patiently for the results of my application, which were published in the Daily Sketch two months prior to the start date. I arrived in Ife for a one-week orientation on the designated day, marking my first encounter with the esteemed premises of the university where I would spend the next fifty years. The circumstances have changed dramatically since then.

As a university lecturer, I always found out when JAMB results were about to be published. This was because I consistently received messages alerting me to this event from relatives, friends, casual acquaintances, and even the occasional complete stranger. In those times, before the omnipresent cell phone altered our lives, some of these individuals would travel all the way from Lagos to share their news in person. They all informed me of their respective wards’ scores in the forthcoming examination results as if I should be concerned about their narratives.

Regardless of the actual score, it was invariably accompanied by a heartfelt request that I do everything possible to secure admission for the score’s owner in their desired course of study, typically medicine, law, pharmacy, or engineering. This occurred even before the scores were formally announced! Nonetheless, they had inexplicably bypassed the system by somehow gaining access to the JAMB computer, which I had thought to be tightly secured. All this effort was made to provide their wards with some leverage in the admissions lobbying process.

The prevailing and widely accepted notion was that regardless of the scores achieved, gaining admission depended largely on having someone to advocate for one’s cause within the university. When I inquired with individuals who had high or even exceptionally high scores why they had chosen to see me, they always reminded me, as though I needed reminding, “This is Nigeria; you cannot simply remain at home and expect justice to prevail in your situation, no matter its merits.”

Those who obtained low scores were also eager to make the same effort. To them, it was clear that, regardless of their circumstances, having someone in a position of authority on their side could bolster their case in Nigeria. These statements reflect a collective indifference towards the integrity of due process in our nation. Given this context, it is evident that JAMB or even judges at the Supreme Court face no easy task, regardless of the outcomes they render in any matters presented to them.

People have reached this conclusion through a series of painful experiences, and their skepticism cannot be challenged. However, the true takeaway is that individuals who lack faith in our institutions are often part of those very institutions. For instance, in the tumultuous past when JAMB’s computer systems lagged for weeks with results, a few well-placed Naira notes could manipulate those results, altering scores for those who had connections.

In Nigeria, it’s become a norm to compromise our institutions and obstruct them from functioning as intended. This expectation is ingrained in our society. Another aspect that undermines the efficacy of an organization like JAMB is our deep-seated disdain for merit. It is something we seem to disregard completely. How else can one interpret the fact that over 1.95 million candidates registered for an exam in which barely more than 400,000 managed to achieve a passing score? Those who genuinely value merit should, upon introspection, recognize that their chances of succeeding in this exam are minimal.

Yet, despite their poor results, they still harbor hopes of securing admission to their preferred university, even at the cost of those who have performed better in the examination. These are the kinds of challenges JAMB faces each year, transforming their work into a highly pressurized environment for which they cannot be compensated sufficiently. There is absolutely no justification for allowing individuals who cannot achieve more than 160 marks out of a possible 400 to endure the challenges of any form of tertiary education. To do so is a waste of resources, as the academic demands at this level are far too rigorous for such individuals to handle.

They have already consumed a substantial amount of public resources without justification up to this point. Advancing their education denies others the opportunity to make use of resources that are only being squandered by individuals incapable of scoring above 40%.