University admissions
Arku Jasmine
Features
Annually, harrowing statistics are churned out about admissions into our universities. The sad fact is that whereas the number of students who qualify is small, the number is further atomised and reduced for the lack of coordination of admissions in the public universities.
The fact is that most of the data given as number of applicants seeking or obtaining admission, is useful only to the particular university but has limited functional benefit to the nation.
This is gleaned from the fact that some of the candidates, particularly those who have the means, purchase admission forms from as many of the public universities as possible, and each of the institutions would count such candidates among their list, to the extent that, in some cases, candidates purchase forms for all the public universities and would be counted as many times as well.
So then, when the Universities of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, Legon, University of Cape Coast, University of Education and the University of Development Studies, count their data, it could well be that a large percentage is repeated, giving a huge figure but which when properly winnowed would be narrowed to a few. In the case of science students, they may even purchase forms for the University of Mines and Technology.
Now, the dysfunctional bit about this system is that, whereas the vacancies at the individual institutions are limited, some of the successful students can only enlist in one institution. There are a few who pay the fees but later move to a new institution when they get a course of their choice as against another course ‘imposed’ on them by one of the universities.
The combined effect of this kind of situation is that, whereas some successful applicants do not gain admission, in the end, there could be vacancies in the universities because those candidates who had more than one offer could only accept one. That is why we need to find a new approach to university admissions at the public level, without compromising on the quality and independence of the institutions.
In other jurisdictions, there exist what they term as Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, which coordinates admissions on behalf of the institutions. We can also look at the feasibility of the JAMB experience.
After all, the public universities in Ghana operate a common office in London, and staff are seconded from the various universities at a time. Indeed, a former Registrar of University of Ghana, Mr Ted Konu , as well as the sitting registrar of the KNUST, Mr K. Yebo-Okra, served in the London office of the universities of Ghana.
Beyond that, there is the National Council for Tertiary Education that could develop the mechanisms for the sale of single forms to all applicants seeking entry into any public university in the country. That way, the cost to applicants will be reduced, but more important, we would be able to gather reliable and accurate data on the number of students who actually enter into status pupilari in our universities, rather than depend on the figures of applications and admissions, announced at the matriculation ceremonies of the individual universities.
For even if the rate of multiple admissions is less than 30 per cent, that would still be a dysfunctional figure when many successful students among the few who pass cannot gain admission.
A few years back, especially at the KNUST, when admissions were believed to have been done at the departmental levels, it was not uncommon for students who had the means to buy more than a form to fill with different subject combinations.
Since the institution streamlined the process and warned against multiple applications, it is better able to know the number of real applicants as against the inflated numbers in the past.
More important, the public has gained confidence in the admission process. That is why we need to rethink the JAMB system. And when successful, it could be extended to the public polytechnics, such that just as applicants fill only one form for admission to teacher training or nursing colleges, applicants to our public tertiary institutions will fill one form per the class of institutions.
That way, we would promote efficiency and effectiveness in such admissions and develop systems for effective data on such admissions to have better records of student populations in our tertiary institutions.
By Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh/Daily Graphic/Ghana
The fact is that most of the data given as number of applicants seeking or obtaining admission, is useful only to the particular university but has limited functional benefit to the nation.
This is gleaned from the fact that some of the candidates, particularly those who have the means, purchase admission forms from as many of the public universities as possible, and each of the institutions would count such candidates among their list, to the extent that, in some cases, candidates purchase forms for all the public universities and would be counted as many times as well.
So then, when the Universities of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, Legon, University of Cape Coast, University of Education and the University of Development Studies, count their data, it could well be that a large percentage is repeated, giving a huge figure but which when properly winnowed would be narrowed to a few. In the case of science students, they may even purchase forms for the University of Mines and Technology.
Now, the dysfunctional bit about this system is that, whereas the vacancies at the individual institutions are limited, some of the successful students can only enlist in one institution. There are a few who pay the fees but later move to a new institution when they get a course of their choice as against another course ‘imposed’ on them by one of the universities.
The combined effect of this kind of situation is that, whereas some successful applicants do not gain admission, in the end, there could be vacancies in the universities because those candidates who had more than one offer could only accept one. That is why we need to find a new approach to university admissions at the public level, without compromising on the quality and independence of the institutions.
In other jurisdictions, there exist what they term as Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, which coordinates admissions on behalf of the institutions. We can also look at the feasibility of the JAMB experience.
After all, the public universities in Ghana operate a common office in London, and staff are seconded from the various universities at a time. Indeed, a former Registrar of University of Ghana, Mr Ted Konu , as well as the sitting registrar of the KNUST, Mr K. Yebo-Okra, served in the London office of the universities of Ghana.
Beyond that, there is the National Council for Tertiary Education that could develop the mechanisms for the sale of single forms to all applicants seeking entry into any public university in the country. That way, the cost to applicants will be reduced, but more important, we would be able to gather reliable and accurate data on the number of students who actually enter into status pupilari in our universities, rather than depend on the figures of applications and admissions, announced at the matriculation ceremonies of the individual universities.
For even if the rate of multiple admissions is less than 30 per cent, that would still be a dysfunctional figure when many successful students among the few who pass cannot gain admission.
A few years back, especially at the KNUST, when admissions were believed to have been done at the departmental levels, it was not uncommon for students who had the means to buy more than a form to fill with different subject combinations.
Since the institution streamlined the process and warned against multiple applications, it is better able to know the number of real applicants as against the inflated numbers in the past.
More important, the public has gained confidence in the admission process. That is why we need to rethink the JAMB system. And when successful, it could be extended to the public polytechnics, such that just as applicants fill only one form for admission to teacher training or nursing colleges, applicants to our public tertiary institutions will fill one form per the class of institutions.
That way, we would promote efficiency and effectiveness in such admissions and develop systems for effective data on such admissions to have better records of student populations in our tertiary institutions.
By Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh/Daily Graphic/Ghana