Mathematics was removed as criteria for Arts courses to avoid forgery – JAMB
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has declared removal of Mathematics as admission criteria for Arts and Humanities courses was done to avoid forgery and realign policy with reality.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, made this assertion while addressing journalists at the opening ceremony of Jihad Week organised by Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, MSSN, University of Ibadan branch and the launch of Ad-Dhikr magazine on Sunday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
DAILY POST reports that the federal Ministry of Education had earlier said that credit in mathematics in the Senior School Certificate Examination will no longer be a condition for admission for students studying art and humanities courses in universities and polytechnics.
But, Oloyede while speaking, noted that the decision to remove Mathematics was taken by the federal ministry of education in order to tackle forgery and realign policy with reality.
He said that students studying some courses in the universities, especially Arts and Humanities courses, have nothing to loose of they do not have credit in Mathematics because there is no relationship between their course and Mathematics.
He also disclosed that the recent embargo placed on the establishment of more universities was taken by the federal executive council in order to strengthen the exiting universities.
He maintained that all these decisions are in the interest of the students, parents and other stakeholders.
He urged the leadership of MSSN to propagate Islam through their conduct.
Oloyede said, “The directives were recommendations that went from bottom up. It is not that the ministry of education just woke up one day and decided. It was a product of data, fact and the embargo, the federal executive council placed the embargo. Because it is not just the number but quality. If the current number of universities that we have are properly mobilised, they have the capacity to attend to our needs rather than having mushroom universities without the appropriate machinery to act as universities.
“On the qualifications, what the ministry has just done is to align the realities with the policy. The policy has been there but how many universities are complying. How will you say that somebody who wants to study Yoruba at University of Ibadan should have mathematics when he can go to University of London and study Yoruba without Mathematics. Somebody of recent studied creative arts in Canada and he came back and NYSC was demanding Mathematics from him and he gone to one of the topmost universities in the world, so Nigeria, is what the ministry of education is doing is realigning policy with the reality on ground.
“And it is in our interest not to encourage forgery. When you are making demands. Somebody wants to study Arabic or somebody wants to study Hausa or Igbo and you now say he could have been admitted but for Mathematics. What is the relationship between Igbo and Mathematics when the same man can go to University of London to do the degree without Mathematics. I think what the ministry of education is doing is to ensure that policies are based on realities.
“MSSN is a mass movement organisation. It is an organisation that was established to ensure that people are brought to Islam and I urge the current MSSN to propagate Islam not only through preaching but also through their conduct”.
Adeoye while speaking, advised Nigerian youths to belief in the country.
He said, “Islam teaches us to love ourselves and our nation. For the youths of Nigeria, there are a lot of fortunes in Nigeria. We just need to belief in Nigeria as a nation”.