Kwara gov expresses concern over students’ UTME mass failure

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has expressed concern over the mass failure of Kwara students in the recently released 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME).

Governor AbdulRazaq at the seventh convocation ceremony of the Kwara State University (KWASU), attributed the students’ failure to poor knowledge of information communication technology (ICT).

The governor who was represented by his deputy, Kayode Alabi said that “today, Kwara has regressed in many areas. We recently read about how several students from the state struggled with computer-based UTME, apparently resulting in mass failure among our children.

“This must be tackled immediately if Kwara must compete in the 21st century economy dominated by ICT. How do we get our children to understand the ‘liberating and exploitative’ powers of information in digital age when they don’t even have the most basic knowledge of computer?

Read also: UTME 2019: JAMB releases 15, 490 withheld results

“Our administration is disturbed by the systemic problem in our education system which manifested in the 2019 UTME. It is immaterial if there are other parts of Nigeria with similar crisis.
We, in Kwara, have a duty to roll back this anomaly in the most practical way. We have a duty to ensure that the overwhelming majority of our children are given the opportunity to excel by having access to IT-enabled education.”

He hailed KWASU for “helping to redraw the map of Nigeria by gradually and in the most ambitious ways, bringing our state to national and global reckoning. It is heart-warming to note that the institution is indeed punching above its weight in the way it has quickly established itself as a centre of academic innovation and excellence within 10 years of its founding.

“Government is not unaware of the peculiar challenges facing this institution, especially deficiency in municipal facilities. I am informed about inadequate accommodation for students and the deplorable condition of private hostels.

“I have also been briefed on the problems of water supply and electricity to the malete campus. Let me assure you that all these will be addressed in due course.”

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