Gloria Ikegbule
The Executive Director of Goodmus Learning Centre (GLC), Lagos, Mr. Adekunle Badmus, has called on the Federal Government to restructure the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) to correct the inability of students to gain admission into the universities every year.
Badmus, whose organisation assists Africa students to secure 90 percent tuition-free admission into Turkish universities is concerned that the future of many youths has been destroyed due to frustration encountered during the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
He suggested that the JAMB result should have two years of validity instead of the current one-year validity, stating that the YOS result has two years validity which encourages applicants to get admission.
“What the government is not getting right is promoting degree programmes over vocational studies. If all the candidates who did not pass UTME are absorbed into the vocational courses, they will be more useful to themselves and society. If the youths are engaged meaningfully, it will reduce the crime rate. Failure in UTME has led many youths into vices such as internet fraud, cultism, and kidnapping.
“The unique thing about the YOS exam is that it is not meant to fail the candidate. It is an assessment exam. Those who could not get high marks are given two-year diploma courses while those who scored high marks are admitted into degree programmes,” Badmus said.
Explaining further, he noted that the Turkish government is aware that not every student must go for degree programmes in the university. It has created vocational courses similar to degree programmes to carry the candidates along. In the last three to five years, more than 500 students have taken the YOS entrance examination organised by the center.
In his remarks, Vice-Rector, Tokat University, Turkey, Prof Isa Gokce, who is in the country to supervise the entrance exams assured that Nigerian students willing to study in Turkey will get quality education at affordable fees.
Prof Gokce disclosed that Turkey has a 90 percent tuition waiver for Nigerian and African students, adding that there are about 1,020 universities that are ready to accommodate foreign students.
“The Turkish government has subsidized tuition, food, and accommodation. Nigerians have chances to receive quality and affordable education in Turkey,” he said.
He also revealed that the Turkish government is running a campaign to accept foreign students en-masse, pointing out that there are about 5,000 Turkish students in Tokat University while foreign students were only about 1,500 students. Gokce continued that the focus is to build human capacity for the development of their countries.
About 500 admission seekers participated in the YOS entrance examination organised by the center in January for admission into Tokat Gaziosmanpasa University, Turkey. The foreign entrance examination took place in Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, and Abuja. The assessment exam will help to determine students’ capacity for appropriate placement in degree or vocational studies.