Rejoinder on UI

Is University of Ibadan a true model?

I went to briefly see my mum at home when my brother, a student of Obafemi Awolowo University, was showing palpable dissatisfaction with the content of an opinion article published in Punch Newspaper and titled: ‘University Admission on sale?’ It was written by one Sunday Saanu of University of Ibadan. I took interest in the article and decided to go through it myself to ascertain what irked and irritated him. I also discovered to my dismay that it was a delusive and highfalutin article, laced with self-conceit. That was why I decided to write a rejoinder to the article.

Ironically, Mr. Saanu’s article was also a rejoinder to an article by a columnist by name Levi Obijiofor who had written to condemn the way university authorities turn admission into an avenue for money-making. Saanu’s grouse with the writer was that the criticism was too generalized. He felt the University of Ibadan should have been exempted from such an ethical ignominy. He went ahead to present the ‘clean’ profile of his school and how the admission process in particular has over the years been favourable to the poor and ‘unconnected’ in the society. To lend credence to his claim, he gave ample testimonials of beneficiaries.

In my evaluation of the personality of the writer, he passes for a paid publicist of UI who takes up arm against anyone who directly or indirectly (as he felt in Obijior’s article) besmirches the image of UI. He blends mild abuse with polite insults to assault his opponent. This was very clear in his write-up. Having referred to Levi Obijiofor as a highly respected columnist and one he reveres, he went ahead to slight the grammatical construction of the writer. But not too far in the same remedial and ‘perfect’ article in a feat of pride about his school, he said that ‘ They, therefore, create a level playing field for all to compete and, as a result given(sic) hope to the hopeless’ He forgot that those who live in glass houses are not supposed to haul stones.

But that is only by the way. I intend to make certain corrections to the article and make some facts clear. And I want to state categorically that this is not an attack on the premier University (I also admire the institution for its prestige). It is only a response to the issues raised by the writer.

University of Ibadan’s admission model is not only defective, it is far from being favourable to the indigents in the society. In fact, it is an elitist arrangement as long as its policy of O’level emphasis is concerned. In a bid to get the “best of the bests”, students with five O’level credits but not high grades are disadvantaged in the admission process. Only students who make ‘A parallel’ or A’s and B’s are preferred. Then the question is this: Do students in public schools where there are no good facilities and good learning aids get such clean results? Of course there may be, but only few. Those who make such results are the children of the affluent who can afford to send their children to private schools. The other category refers to those who are too lazy to read but can afford special centres and in the end get high grades. These are the likely candidates of UI. I say this without any apology.

Again, the school conducts oral test which is a very good way of evaluating a student’s intelligence and brilliance. But does that mean it is a perfect system? Of course not. The test is highly subjective. Sentiments and bias cannot be totally removed from such a method. The issues of appearance of candidates, psychological, mental and emotional state of the interviewers imperceptibly affect and condition the types of questions posed to students. Nepotism, tribalism, sentiments cannot be completely left out.

The challenge with oral test also is that students could be unnecessarily intimidated. A student may become disorganized after failing to recall a point or say something that he knows too well but because of fear, he goes blank. He therefore misses his admission not because he is a dullard, but because he has been frustrated overtly or covertly.

I think the official position of Mr. Saanu in UI would have helped us determine the credibility and believability of his assertions. More curious to me is the statement that UI’s admission is so watertight that it cannot be infiltrated by any admission racketeer. This is nothing but a blatant exaggeration and a mere delusion of grandeur. The writer even said the Vice Chancellor has got no say over the admission. That is much of a fallacy in such a system as ours. Corruption is endemic in our system. Power play is everywhere. But if there are seclusions and exceptions, it can never be Ibadan, a city where might is right. Remember the former garrison leader Lamidi Adedibu?

The high point of my argument is that there is no perfect system. UI’s admission process is not infallible neither is it the best in the country. There are certainly students who get into the school through the backdoor or else the institution will not be verifying results of admitted students either in their penultimate year on campus or not long after their admission. If the best of the bests were to be in UI, then there should be no cause for rustication and withdrawal.

But Mr. Saanu appeared not to see the issue from this angle as he went on ranting the eulogy of UI. He also failed to consider the perception of his heterogeneous readers who are from different schools, backgrounds and with different orientations and dispositions. He rode roughshod on everyone by ascribing the status of primus interpares to UI and telling other reputable universities to go to hell. Maybe he does not know about the University of first choice, University of Lagos. Perhaps this will serve as an eye opener to many who think Unilag is for children of the crème-de-la-crème and the ‘connected’ as widely believed. I gained admission without any short circuiting or long-legging.

First, the O’level result is at one sitting with at least five credits in core subjects without any discrimination or deference for grade. Unilag started this and other schools have followed this example. We set the pace. Secondly, the post UTME questions are drawn from students’ core subjects. No strange and unfamiliar questions. Finally, the cut off result is released based on percentage. The results of the post UTME and the UTME itself are merged and a percentage is derived. With the number of applicants contrasted with the number of spaces available for a particular course, the cut-off is released. To favour those who did not perform well in UTME but did creditably well in the post-UTME, provision is made for them to be absorbed into the academia purely on merit.

The admission to qualified students is provisional. After first year if a student fails to meet up with the expectation of the University, he or she is withdrawn. As if that is not enough, the University confirms all results submitted for admission and if any manipulation is discovered, the culprit is shown the way out (even if in final year). How do you describe such a system in comparison with that of UI? You judge.

I have no problem with Levi Obijiofor who decried the current state of admission profiteering in Nigerian varsities (he did not even mention any university and I think a reaction to such a harmless piece is a sign of culpability). It only shows that we have sacrificed merit on the altar of materialism. Instead of taking umbrage against the veteran writer, it is good we look inward and take corrective measures. It’s also a wake up call to university authorities to be vigilant. They must wage war against the subversive elements in the system who undermine and sabotage the efforts of the administration by perpetuating admission fraud. Before we talk about a free and fair 2011 election, let’s first have a free and fair admission.

By Folarin Samson,
A member of the Writers Club
Mass communication Dept,
University of Lagos.
childofdkingdom@yahoo.com/08030572852