Kunle Adelabu
Residents of Ikorodu have blamed parents’ lack of proper care and guidance for their children for the poor results recorded in this year’s UTME JAMB examinations, following the release of the results by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, with almost 80% failure rate recorded.
They reacted to the 2024 UTME results released on Monday, by the examination body on THE IMPACT Newspaper’s WhatsApp platform.
The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, announced the release of the UTME results at a press conference held at the board’s headquarters, Bwari, in Abuja.
According to the examination body, over 1.94 million candidates registered and sat for the examination in 118 towns and over 700 centres across the country.
It was revealed that 77 per cent of the 1,842,464 candidates whose results were released on Monday, scored less than 200.
Oloyede, in his breakdown of the results of the 1,842,464 candidates released, noted that, “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above, while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”
Leading the conversation, Mr Bayode Olawunmi Treasures, the Guinness Book of World Record in Longest Marathon Reading Aloud, both individual and group, put the blame on the parents, stating that their over pampering which stopped teachers from instilling necessary discipline in the children, is a major cause of the abysmal failures.
“No one but the parents are to be blamed. We have lost sight of what is important and our priorities are misplaced”, he said.
“As for teachers and the schools, well, little can be said. But what do we expect of teachers who are afraid to discipline students, because parents fight back and govt’s discipline?”, he added.
A social media commentator and community developer, Mr Monday Ohi Obadan, while aligning with Bayode’s statement, pointed at parents as the major cause, while he did not spare the examination body too.
“Last paragraph endorsed (of Bayode’s submission).
“JAMB has been turned to a revenue generating agency rather than an academic evaluation body.
“Methink, if they are really serious, going forward, there should be a percentage refund or rebate of exam fees, while those that failed are given another opportunity to rewrite the exam nah!!”, he suggested.
Mr Waliu Adeyeri, a graphic artist and playwright, also endorsing the position that parents should be blamed, deplored the adoption of western culture wholeheartedly without considering the prevailing factors in our own environment.
“The last part of this statement carries weight… (of Bayode’s position). In Nigeria, we are quick to adopt the western culture, without considering factors that made the act work”, he said.
“They are quick to forget that the Nigerian culture lies on discipline, joint efforts in child upbringing (oju merin lo n bimo, igba oju lo n to).
“Sometimes ago, I was at a school on a visit, I was bemused to see a secondary school student standing up to a teacher…The students have no regard for anyone…”, he recalled his experience.
Bayode reacting to Ohi’s position on refund for the mass failure, said:
“Is that how SAT, GRE, GMAT, IGSE, IELTS refund those that failed the exams sir?”, he asked.
“That suggestion is not tenable and if adopted would engender mass failures of the students knowing they’ll get refund even if they fail”.
Taopheeq Olorunjuedalo, a teacher and social media analyst, also toed the lines of others, adding that parents are doing everything to get their wards into the higher institutions.
“A father impersonating his son for JAMB exam, says a lot about the rot”, he said.
“Parents paid huge school fees for their wards to acquire education, at the same time, the same parents pay for special centres for their wards. How do we marry this?
“Bad parenting has greatly affected our educational system. Nothing more.
“This same set of indulging parents found themselves in the corridor of representation, representing the government as policy makers. What sort of educational policy do we expect them to formulate?”, he asked.
Mr Monday Obadan, contributing further, raised other issues concerning JAMB and institutions educational, while seeking for solutions to the unfortunate development.
“What is the way out if JAMB continues to seemingly exploit the applicants?”, he asked.
“Now that we have many universities, the excuse used by the few universities then was lack of capacity.
“Recall these universities still have to conduct post jamb for this successful applicants. They will still be vetted at a cost before admission can be assured. Should the government allow universities conduct their entry exams directly at a regulated cost and streamlined process?”, he asked.
“For mass failures, may be the students were not well prepared for these exams or the students were unserious or JAMB set questions outside the student syllabus that was used in teaching them at all these JAMB Preparatory or Coaching Centres.
“We need a holistic review nah!!”, he said.
