A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Ibidapo Obe, has advised all universities in Nigeria to adopt the same grading system to ensure uniformity in performance rating.
Obe in an exclusive interview with our correspondent said that the five point grading system was the universal system.
He also noted that when it was changed to four point grading system in 2017 by the National Universities Commission some institutions like Unilag, maintained the universal system while some implemented the new
one.
Reacting to the recent order by the NUC to revert from the four point grading system implemented in 2017 as a five-point grading system with effect from the 2018/2019 academic year, he said a uniform system should be adopted, which is the five point universal system.
He said, “We are using five point system, the universities have not been using four point, not in University of Lagos. The University of Lagos did not change from using the five point grading system; likewise some other schools, which couldn’t implement it. But some schools used it. The student’s performance would be different.
“The five point is universal, except for some universities. Even if you use four point or five point, it doesn’t matter, as long as you can always convert one to another by factor and get the same grade. The grading system should be uniform so that the degrees awarded in different schools will not be higher in performance than the other.
“If some are given pass marks with D using the five point grading system and the others are failed with the same point, the performances won’t be justified.”
He further said that the uniformity in grading system would make each school to be the same in every state.
“The important thing is that the grading system should be uniform so that what I say here in Lagos is what happens in other states. The uniformity is the best, the grading system does not determine the performance of students. People in educational measurement will say more, but as far as I am concerned, it must be uniform. All the classification should be uniform, both first class and the others. In America they have their own, but ours should be uniform always,” he said.
