The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that the cut-off marks for Nigerian higher institutions are the collective decision of stakeholders in the education sector.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, who spoke to reporters on Wednesday, said stakeholders in the sector unanimously agreed that the minimum cut-off marks for the university degree for the 2017 academic year be put at 120, lower than the previous years, which stood at 180.
He allayed fears that the development might further lower Nigeria’s standard of education.
He stated that besides the board recommending cut-off marks for universities, polytechnics and colleges of education as well as monotechnics, individual institutions could raise their admission benchmark higher but not above 180 for universities.
He said, “With this decision, universities are not to go below the minimum 120 cut-off points adopted by the meeting for admissions.
“What JAMB did was a recommendation, we only determined the minimum, whatever the various institutions determine as their admission cut-off mark is their decisions.
“The Senate and academic boards of universities should be allowed to determine their cut-off marks.“