On the new jamb cutting signs

The recent announcement by the joint admissions and matriculation (Jamb) according to which the signs of interruption for the tertiary institutions in Nigeria for 2025 will be 150 for universities, 100 for the Polytechnics and the universities of education and 140 for the universities of the nursing sciences, it is not a little to say the least a national tragedy. Instead of raising the level and asking for excellence, we are looking in real time while the gatekeeper of our future educational future collapse the standards themselves that once have given their pride to our institutions.

When I wrote my Utme and scored 200, I remember I felt as if I hadn’t done enough. I was aiming at Ahmadu Bello University (Abu), one of the most competitive institutions of Nigeria. A score of less than 200 meant that you had to rethink your options. That was the spirit of the competition. This was what prompted us to spend sleepless nights to study. It was a time when the students feared the submarine, not because they were not intelligent, but because they knew that excellence was not negotiable.

But now we are normalizing mediocrity. We are celebrating 100 as if it were a result. Tell me: What kind of student is preparing for an important national exam like Utme and scores 100 out of 400? It’s just 25%! And instead of raising alarm, we are adapting the standards down to satisfy such scarce performances.

This is deeply disturbing.

Many students do not prepare adequately for their exams today. Some collect their books only a day before, believing that miracles will happen. Instead of libraries, they are in salotti; Instead of group discussions, they are glued to their phones. Social media and smartphones have become both a distraction and a crutch. We are reproducing a generation that believes that success is spontaneous and does not require hard work.

The problem is not only with students: it is institutional. Every year, Jamb lowers the signs of interruption in an attempt to “host more students”. But what are we really welcoming? The reality is that we are institutionalizing failure, approving laziness and discouraging the splendor. We are telling our youth that excellence is optional. That you don’t have to work hard, just introduce yourself and you will be carried out.

This trend must stop.

Education is the basis of national development. When we dilute our academic standards, we are not only damaging the individual future, but we are undermining our national growth. The reference point for university admission should not go down below 200. We must revive the culture of academic rigor, restore competition and make excellence again.

Instead of reducing the level, Jamb should invest in orientation campaigns that promote academic discipline, critical thinking and a culture of reading. The Ministry of Public Education must work with secondary schools to ensure that students are well prepared. Parents must also carry out their part by encouraging the reading and fixation of the limits on the time of the screen.

We try to be clear: real success comes through sacrifice, discipline and preparation. We must not allow a generation to grow by believing differently.

If we have to build a Nigeria that competes globally, we must stop welcoming mediocrity and start asking for excellence.

Baba Abdullahi Machina,

Abuja