President of the Senate, David Mark has pledged the readiness of the National Assembly to enact appropriate legislation that would improve and strengthen the education sector in the country.
This is against the background of the criticism that the nation’s education system especially at the tertiary levels being rated below their contemporaries abroad.
Speaking when he commissioned the new Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)zonal office in Markurdi, Benue state on Friday, Senator Mark said “We need to do everything possible to get our education right. I am convinced that if we get education correct, all other sectors would fall in line and we would have solved our problems because education is the foundation for any development”.
He also called for working synergy between JAMB and the tertiary institutions in order to avoid the problems of students’ admission saying that the system needs to be improved upon.
Senator Mark advised the JAMB and University authorities to review the admission policy so that prospective students who qualify to be given admission are not denied under any guise.
“Let there be merit in the process. Those who merit to be admitted should not be encumbered for whatever reason. If a standard is set, it should not be compromised. We must stop the syndrome of let my people go at the expense of merit”, the Senate President stressed.
On the newly introduced ‘Computer Base Test’ (CBT) for JAMB examinations, Senator Mark praised the idea as it is capable of eliminating fraud and other examination malpractices as well as getting results almost immediately.
In his remarks the governor of Benue state, Gabriel Suswam who spoke through his deputy, Steven Lawani promised that the state would continue to partner with relevant agencies including JAMB as part of measures to improve the standard of Education in the State.
Education Minister Professor Ruqayatu Ahmed Rufa’i and JAMB Registrar Professor ‘Dibu Ojerinde noted in their separate remarks that the introduction of the Computer Base Test (CBT) for examinations was aimed at improving the exercise in line with global best practices.
They assured that everything was being done to increase access to education as well as improve quality for the good of the citizens and the country.
