Benue State University, Makurdi

THE RATIO 60:40 SCIENCE/ARTS AND HUMANITY ADMISSION POLICY IN DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY (2013 – 2017): A MYTH OR REALITY?

Okonta Vinella, PhD^*
Department of Educational Management & Foundations Delta State University, Abraka

Abstract

This paper examined the admission situation in Delta State University for the period 2013/14 – 2017/18 academic years to ascertain whether the federal government 60:40 science/arts and humanity admission policy ratio was strictly adhered to. It adopted the ex-post facto design as it investigated admissions offered in the past years. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. Findings revealed that the ratio of admitted to not admitted candidates was 28.72:71.28; that the overall ratio of science/arts and humanity admissions was 51.43:48.57, indicating a shortfall of 8.57% in favour of science admissions; and that there was no strict compliance to the federal government 60:40 science/arts admission policy ratio. The paper recommended that science based programmes should be expanded in the university and that the teaching and learning of science subjects at the primary and secondary school levels should be greatly improved in order to stimulate students' interests in the sciences in the early stage of their educational careers.