Pass Degree Certificate | In this post, you will learn more about Nigeria Universities “Pass Degree” Certificate grading system.
One of the issues in the university’s grading system is that of the ‘pass’ degree. Education experts note that ‘pass’ is a class in a (five-point) grading system.
Nigeria Universities “Pass Degree” Certificate Overview
Every training institution that is required to assess its trainees has its own format of grading system since a grading system is a platform for the application of Assessment Instruments. There are also many different Assessment Instruments that are also used by different training institutions. All these grading systems do not address the same objectives and purposes.
“Because of these different shades of opinions and freedom to use whichever is considered suitable for a given situation, much study has not been done on the subject. It is discovered that people copy one format or the other without knowing fully the original purpose for which what is copied is intended. This consequently leads to many assumptions, one of which is to think that there is nothing to teach anybody about grading systems.”
Now Nigerian universities are seeing the consequences of their varied grading systems as they affect students’ chances of admission in and out of the country.
One of the issues in university’s grading system is that of the ‘pass’ degree. Education experts note that ‘pass’ is a class in a (five-point) grading system.
It is the last pass class to which the least pass grade point/CGPA of one is automatically assigned by virtue of being the last pass class.
Similarly, in a (four-point) grading system, the last pass class to which the least pass grade point/CGPA of one is automatically assigned by virtue of being the last pass class is a third class if the same nomenclatures are used in both cases.
For a (six-point) grading system, the last pass class to which the least pass grade point/CGPA of one is automatically assigned by virtue of being the last pass class will probably be called a ‘low pass’ if the same nomenclatures are used in both cases, argued Omotosho.
Therefore, ‘pass’ as a class of degree cannot be condemned simply because the least grade point/CGPA of one is assigned to it.
“It is only a ‘name’. What is important is the score ranges attached to each class. The implications of the last pass in any given grading system can be explained as follows: Though students falling into this category are university materials but they cannot proceed to higher university degrees without remedying the cause of such level of performance.
However, they are qualified to be admitted into corporate membership class of their respective disciplines/professional bodies like any other graduates of higher classes because they have sufficient knowledge to deal with real-life situations.
“As a matter of fact, this class of graduates are preferred to be employed in production industries because they are much more likely to stay on the job longer than the high-flying graduates who are likely to move into academics, consulting and design firms.
The high-flying graduates (first and second classes) are much more mobile than third and pass class graduates, an attribute that does not guarantee stability of labour in the industries which is primarily what is needed,” Omotosho further claimed.
Unfortunately, he admitted, because of high unemployment index in Nigeria, that scenario has changed leaving many graduates (including first class) unemployed.
He, however, pointed out that cancelling pass division in degree classification is certainly not the solution to unemployment anywhere in the world.
Pass degrees are still being awarded in many advanced countries to date. Many institutions in the United Kingdom still award ordinary pass degrees which are lower than pass (honours) degrees that are being condemned in Nigeria today.
“If Nigerian employers can employ graduates with American Bachelor degrees which are essentially unclassified as Nigerian universities do, then, it does not make sense to disadvantage graduates from Nigerian universities by simply cancelling pass (honours) degree.
There are many professionals whose basic academic qualification is the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE); yet, they are admitted into employment market at the same level, if not even higher than degree holders by some employers of labour in Nigeria.
“Why then will a holder of Bachelors degree be denied simply because he has a pass (honours) degree? If pass (honours) degree is abolished, third class will also be abolished when unemployment index gets higher; second class will be abolished when unemployment index gets still higher and so on. What will happen when unemployment continues to grow? Will first class degrees be abolished as well?” Omotosho explained.
While it is important to have a unified grading system across all universities in the country, experts in the education sector told The Guardian that much more important is the NUC’s ability to ensure that the universities are in touch with modernity, reality and the future in the outlook of its curricula.
If the falling standards of education across tertiary institutions are corrected, grading system is the least of anybody’s headache.
he least of anybody’s headache.