Universities set to merge outstanding admissions

As the 2022 deadline for admissions by the Joint Admissions and Enrollment Commission comes to an end, universities with outstanding admissions will work towards a merger, Sunday PUNCH has learned.

During the Policy Meeting 2022 in Abuja, JAMB set the deadline for the implementation of the 2022/2023 approvals as December 31, 2022.

The meeting's stakeholders cited the ongoing strike by the University Academic Staff Union as a key factor.

Saturday PUNCH had recently reported that as many as 400,000 admissions quotas were unused by universities during the 2021/2022 admissions session; Data from JAMB also showed that there were many pending approvals from the 2020/2021 session.

JAMB commented on the development, noting that most universities have suspended admissions processes due to ongoing strikes.

Speaking to our correspondent on the admissions backlog, the Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu said, "Yes, admissions will be merged."

The union blamed the government's failure to meet their demands, leading to the suspension of the 2020 strike.

The demands include the release of restructuring funds for universities; the release of earned allowances for faculty; renegotiations of the 2009 ASUU/FG agreement; and, inter alia, the publication of the White Paper Report on University Visiting Bodies.

Although the government responded by setting up a committee headed by Professor Emeritus Nimi Briggs, negotiations failed to produce any resolutions, prompting the union to declare an indefinite strike.

Eight months later, the strike has yet to end.

Meanwhile, the Benue State University, Makurdi Parents/Stakeholders Forum has appealed to ASUU members at the institution to withdraw from the national body so they can catch up on accumulated academic calendar years.

The call was included in a statement by the university's public relations officer, Mr Tser Vanger, in Makurdi on Saturday, according to the Nigeria News Agency.

The quoted statement from the PSF Chair, Ms. Keziah Agundo, who expressed concern over the unused academic calendar months, explained that the withdrawal would allow faculty to reduce the accumulated workload.

She said the 2020 and 2021 undergraduate courses have yet to be enrolled, while tertiary exam admissions are still ongoing for the 2022 unified enrollment.

According to the statement, the university's vice chancellor, Prof. Joseph Iorapuu, called for academic activities to resume at the institution.

He explained that most of the faculty's complaints bordered on funding.

The statement also noted that the meeting was attended by senior university officials, including the chairman of the BSU branch of ASUU, Dr. Victor Tarnongo, who promised to submit the PSF's demands to the competent authorities.

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