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By Oscar Okhifo
In a recent public discourse on Nigeria’s education sector, former Provost of the College of Education, Ilesa, (now University of Illesa) Prof. Kolawole Kola-Kazeem, expressed strong concerns over the systemic errors in the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations.
He emphasized that those responsible for the lapses should be held accountable to prevent further damage to the nation’s educational integrity.
Prof. Kola-Kazeem’s stated this during a discussion on “The Crisis in Nigeria’s Education Sector: Are We Raising a Generation of Illiterates?”
Alongside former Commissioner for Education in Osun State, Prof. Oluyemisi Obilade. The conversation highlighted the alarming statistics from the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), where only 23% of the 1.84 million candidates scored 200 and above out of 400 marks. This low performance was attributed to various factors, including societal issues and systemic failures within the education sector.
Prof. Kola-Kazeem criticized the current state of the education system, pointing out that the quality of education has dwindled over the years. He called for a comprehensive review of the examination processes and administrative structures to ensure that such errors do not occur again .
His call for accountability aligns with previous statements by other educational leaders, such as Prof. Peter Okebukola, who has urged for the adoption of JAMB’s techniques to stamp out malpractice in educational institutions.
The discussion also touched upon the broader implications of these systemic issues, including the potential for increased crime rates and societal unrest if the education system continues to fail the youth.
Both Prof. Kola-Kazeem and Prof. Obilade agreed on the need for urgent reforms to address these challenges and restore public confidence in the nation’s educational institutions.
As the nation grapples with these educational challenges, the calls for accountability and reform grow louder, signaling a critical juncture for Nigeria’s education policy and administration. Many Nigerians are of the view that accepting only the tears and apologies of JAMB Registrar Prof. IShaq Oloyede without sanctioning all those who abdicated from their responsibilities will encourage a future reoccurrence.