According to information from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, which is in charge of college admissions in Nigeria, only 105,226 of the 1,256,494 people who applied for medicine-related programs in Nigerian public and private universities over the course of three years were accepted.
The numbers came from statistics about who got in for 2019, 2020, and 2021. The PUNCH says that the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities and other university-based unions has caused some universities to be late with the admissions process for 2022.
Some of the courses in Nigerian universities that have to do with medicine are Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, Anatomy, Physiotherapy, and Pharmacy. Our correspondent found out that in 2019, 436,799 people applied for 30,111 spots in courses related to medicine, but only 34,734 were accepted.
The number was more than what JAMB had suggested. When the data were looked at more closely, it was found that in 2019, JAMB raised the number of students who could take Medicine-related courses in Nigerian universities to 43,717. In that year, 452,196 people applied, but only 36,821 were accepted. The most recent information about admissions for 2021 showed that there would be 39,850 spots available.
A look at the data showed that 367,499 people applied, but only 33,671 were accepted. On its website, the regulatory board said that “wrong O’ Level subject combination, low post-UTME scores, UTME combination deficiency, duplication of application, absence from post-UTME screening, mismatch of catchment institutions, and absence of O’ Level results” were some of the reasons why some candidates didn’t get in.
Titilayo Rufus, a teacher at a private secondary school in Abuja, said, “Most of the time, you have students who are not strong in certain O’ Level subjects needed for Medicine, but they still struggle to add Medicine-related courses to their UTME application.”
We have cases like that. Some of them are influenced by their parents, while others are influenced by their friends. Only a few of them really want to go to those courses, and if they don’t get in, they try again or go to a private university. I still think the problem is with the way we teach in middle and high schools.
The curriculum isn’t set up in a way that prepares students for a wide range of careers outside of medicine, law, and engineering. People talk about tech, UI/UX design, and other things these days. The curriculum in secondary schools also needs to be improved.