UI matriculates 3,502 students, explains admission process

UI matriculates 3,502 students, explains admission process

Friday, March 10, 2017 8:03 am


The newly admitted students

Gbenro Adesina/Ibadan

Principal Officers, other staff of the University of Ibadan, UI, and invited guests on Thursday gathered at the institution’s International Conference Centre, ICC, situated along Ojoo Road for the 2016/2017 matriculation ceremony of the newly admitted students to the premier university.

In his matriculation speech, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka said that the matriculation marked the formal conclusion of the admissions exercise for the 2016/2017 academic year.

He added further that the signing of the matriculation register also marked the concluding stage of the students’ registration.

The VC also intimated his audience about the efforts of his administration to stabilise the academic calendar so that the session can commence in September and round off by June of the following year.

He noted that this will give the staff opportunity to proceed on long vacation, attend learned conferences, rejuvenate, update their lecture notes and get ready for a new session.

Olayinka disclosed that only 3,538 candidates were given admission out of several thousand that applied. “This comprises 3,074 UTME selected out of 29,002 candidates who scored 200 and above in the UTME. This represents a success rate of 10.6 percent for the UTME candidates.

“In other words, only one out of every 10 admission seekers into UI during the 2016/2017 session and who scored 200 marks and above, out of 400 marks, and in addition had the requisite minimum of five credit at the Senior Secondary School Certificate (WAEC or NECO) could secure a place.

“In addition, 462 were admitted by Direct Entry out of the 2,891 applicants representing a slightly higher success rate at 16 percent or one out of every seven applicants,” said the VC.

Explaining how the students were admitted after the cancellation of Post UTME tests,  Olayinka said the university adopted 50:50 model during the admission screening exercise explaining that 50 point was allocated to JAMB and 50 was allocated to O/L result adding, “The minimum weighted score to be eligible for admission into any course is 50 percent”.

“At a first level of screening, only candidates with a score of 200 and above in the UTME were eligible to participate in the process. It is worth mentioning that the minimum mark prescribed by JAMB to enter a university in Nigeria is 180 marks but our Senate has always insisted on 200 marks out of 400 since the advent of JAMB in 1978.

“Only four or five other universities out of a total of 152 universities in the Nigerian University System can boast of this standard; without any doubt, this is one of the ways in which we ensure high quality of our intakes”, he added.

He gave the summary of the statistics of the number of UTME candidates who applied to the university as follows: total number of first and second choice candidates with JAMB scores above 200 were 29,002, total number of candidates that had 50 percent and above after screening were 12,395, total number recommended for JAMB admission were 3, 875, total number accepted by JAMB were 3,875 and total number who showed up for clearance were 3538”.

According to him, at the end of the admission screening exercise, the weighted score which is the summation of the UTME and O’level scores was determined for each candidates.

The top six scorers after the exercise, according to him were: Akinola Aderinsola Atinuke with JAMB registration number 65088725GD scoring 322 in JAMB, translating to 40.25 JAMB point, O/L Point, 50 and weighted score 90.25 percent, Oguntona Abraham Opoola with JAMB registration number 657017271A scoring 314 in JAMB translating to 39.25 JAMB point, O/L point, 48.3333 and weighted score 87.58333, Ajagbe Adenike Oluwatosin scoring 295 in JAMB translating to 36.875 JAMB point, O/L Point 50, and weighted score 86.875, Njoku Adamma Chidera with JAMB registration number 6557856HC scoring 321 in JAMB translating to 40.125 JAMB point, O/L Point 46.66667 and weighted score 86.7917, Adetunji Aishat Adebukola with JAMB Registration number 65717560BE scoring 317 in JAMB translating to 39.625 JAMB point, O/L Point 46.66667 and weighted score 86.2917 and Olatunbosun Oladayo David with JAMB Registration 65718752CH scoring 302 in JAMB translating to 37.75 JAMB point, O/L Point 48.3333 and weighted score 86.0833.

They were all offered admission to study Medicine and Surgery.

He, however, stated that at the matriculation ceremony, the record reveals that a total of 3,502 candidates, UTME and Direct Entry inclusive, have been cleared and were expected to take matriculation oath.

“You will agree with me that this is a relatively low figure when compared to other long established universities in the country. We are not unmindful of our carrying capacity; moreover, our vision is to be a postgraduate university in which the undergraduate: Postgraduate enrolment will be 40:60 respectively,” said the VC.

Urging the new students to stay clear of cultism to avoid premature termination of their studentship, he appealed to female students to avoid walking alone in isolated areas especially in the night because sexual abuse is real.

Professor Olayinka also disclosed that a total of 47 students had problems with their courses and were requested to withdraw.

He added that some of the students may still be able to transfer to other courses within the university. Another set of 37 students were also advised to withdraw from the University for not passing up to 20 units at the end of their first year of registration.

The Vice Chancellor pointed out that apart from poor academic performance, students could also lose their studentship on account of disciplinary matters involving examination misconduct, unruly behavior, indecent behavior, vandalism, miscellaneous hall offences, unauthorized use/displacement/damage to university property, pilfering, insubordination, direct sale of bed space/squatting in halls of residence, membership of secret cult on campus, illegal participation in the National Youth Service Programme, illegal registration as full-time student and infringement of other university regulations.

He stressed that fraud, theft, burglary, assault occasioning bodily harm, murder, membership of a secret cult inside and outside campus, possession of fire-arms, arson, rape, possession and/or use of hard drug and drug trafficking and others were criminal offences in the university.

In her lecture titled, “The Pathway of Time”, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Chief Mrs. Victoria Olufunmilayo Awomolo noted that she accepted to deliver the lecture because she attended the same secondary school, Ilesha Grammar School, with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olayinka between 1970 and 1974”. “The elders say, twenty children cannot play together continuously for twenty years, but after, they will rediscover themselves again when they would have been achievers”, she added.

The principal officers and the matriculation lecturer.

Awomolo noted that all over the world, matriculation is an important ceremony in the life of every tertiary institution, because it is a day set aside to consummate the process of admitting students into a tertiary institution.

“On this occasion, fresh students are made to take an oath of allegiance to a constituted authority and to commit themselves to peaceful living as members of this great community…. You are now therefore bona fide members of this great citadel of learning. As full members of this university, part of your obligation is to maintain law and order. I thereby enjoin you all to shun all forms of social vices such as cultism, sexual misbehavior, indecent dressing, examination malpractices, thuggery, fraudulent acts and other nefarious activities which can mar your bright future”, she added.

The legal luminary who expressed worry over many social vices the nation is infested with, and the lost of virtues of hard work, honesty, punctuality and sense of morality as a result of failure of most of the agents of socialization in their duty to mould the character of the young ones, lamented, “the families have also failed”.

Admonishing the new students to avoid all forms of violence on campus so as to meritoriously finish their programmes of study in order to make their parents and nation at large proud and avoid not being dismissed from the university, she said, “There is no such thing as perfection, and life is not a race. As we get older, the only thing that speeds up is time. But as much as it is true that time is a thief, time also leaves something in exchange. With time comes experience and achievement which are the dividends you garner on the pathway of time”.

She stated further, “When challenges come, I hope you will remember that anchored deep within you is the ability to learn and grow. You were not born with limitless energy and opportunities along your path, so leverage on this and move on steadily. In that process, you will figure out who you really are and you just might become the very best version of yourself. We all dream, but dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It is hard work that creates change.

While you dream, do something about your dream. Work hard but work smart. Everything is handed to you but nothing good comes easy. Nothing is too small or too big to try. If you want to get ahead on the path, volunteer to do the things no one else wants to do, and do it better. Be open and learn. As tough as things may be, I am convinced you are tougher. I see your passion and I see a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course”.

Continuing, “Follow your passion; stay true to yourself and everything will turn out fine. Life is not easy for anyone. Sometimes you don’t see the challenges immediately, but whatever comes your way, give it your all and dare to be all that you can be. It is a great thing to be young.

“You are at a very specific time of age, an age where you can follow all your dreams or change them! Unfortunately, for some of us adults, we have regrets and wish we could be young again, that is turning back the hands of the clock.

“The world is more malleable than you think and it is waiting for you to hammer it into shape. That is what this degree of yours will do for you. So go forth and build something on it. This is the time for bold measures and this is the country and you are the generation”.

The Senior Advocate, however, gave some keys that would open door of success to the students and the keys include: being organized, attending lectures, networking, asking questions in the class, and study strategy.

She said, “Organise yourself, set your priority right, make a schedule and plan your activities logically in order to have good control of your time. We are at a time of the social media and many online stuff like: WhatsApp, BBM, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, endless messages/SMS and so on. Be careful that you don’t waste your time on these.

“They are clear time wasters! Be warned. You should endeavour to be time-conscious and prioritize effectively. Attendance in classes is compulsory and marked, and given a certain percentage. A student who scores low in attendance may not have good grade”.

She stated further, “Today, you need to put almost as much effort into building relationships with your peers, as you put into your studies. This can also be a great asset in your job hunt after you graduate. Remember to get to know your lecturers too!

“Study each lecturer to know what they want, as this helps you in knowing the manner in which you will respond to the questions they give in the assignments, tests or examination. However, do not associate with bad characters. Be mindful of the type of friends you keep. Spend at least two hours in the library every day after your lectures”.

The lecturer bemoaned sexual abuse that is bedeviling the tertiary institutions explaining that the ugly vice has to do with lecturers using their positions to oppress and often times sexually molest the female students.

Pointing out that most female students who refuse to accede to the sexual demands of their lecturers are punished with weak grades or outright failure, she declared, “Many female students have had their academic calendars elongated while some others’ have had their degrees truncated. This is an extremely bad behavour and if there is any such in this university, please stop and stop destroying the future of our children.”

She noted that in a recent landmark judgment, the Supreme Court of Nigeria affirmed the conviction and sentencing of an Ahmadu Bello University lecturer to two months imprisonment without option of fine, for sexual molestation of married women.

According to her, “The criminal case, which started from the Magistrate Court, ended at the Supreme Court where the court had this to say: “It was stated that the appellant had been warned severally by the husband of the woman, both face to face and on phone, to stay away from her. He had refused to heed until he was caught red-handed with the woman in a hotel room. The appellant according to the evidence before the court had left his place and travelled for up to four hundred kilometers from Zaria to Dutse to pursue his illicit sexual act.”

Concluding, she urged the lecturers to stop molesting the students, either sexually or otherwise.

Due to shortage of space, parents and the family members of the matriculating students were not admitted into the conference hall as they waited patiently for their wards outside the hall while the ceremony lasted.

Virtually all the parents who came in their cars were angry as they were forced to pay N1000 before they could be allowed to park at the car park.

One of them said, “What kind of IGR are they trying to make? We are here because our children are matriculating. While can’t they give us the honour by allowing us not to pay for the parking space? Even if they must collect money, must it be more than N100 or N200? This is too bad and this is extortion”.

 


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