Some paid twice, couriers service cost also involved
By Alade Adisa
Getting academic transcript from higher institutions in Nigeria has not only become problematic but also frustrating.
Whether one needs it for higher education, job opportunity processing or for any other reason, tales of woes and disappointment have mostly been the order of the day.
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No thanks to the lack of proper recording keeping and the absence of digitized system in most of our institutions.
SOS messages
Good evening sir,
Thank you for your support over the years.
Please sir, I’m thinking we need to publish an update on Unilag transcript processing delay for over 2yrs.
My brother’s Unilag transcript is still pending. WES just mailed my brother to reactivate his account with PAYMENT for the 5th time.
Meanwhile, he even made payment to Unilag TWICE for his transcript as shown on his student portal.
UK has come up stringent policy that is threatening his UK immigration status.
Please sir, kindly intervene as my brother is getting DEPRESSED.
Warm regards.
The above is a note sent by Yetunde (surname withheld) to a relation who is a journalist regarding the ordeal of his brother. The brother is based in the United Kingdom where he relocated to some years ago.
Similarly, sometime in 2023, an Editor with a national daily in Nigeria got a save my soul message from the daughter of one his late revered columnists.
The message was sharp, “I believe you will know someone in LASU, I need my transcript urgently or I will lose a job. I paid since 7th May and have heard nothing.” The lady requesting the document is also based in the United Kingdom.
Abayomi Roleola, who has had to pay twice and has still not got his transcript sent, lamented that he could miss what he needs the document for.
A 2012 graduate of Science and Technology Education, his details go thus: “Matriculation number 080322066. The year of Admission was 2008. The year of Graduation was 2012. Statement of Result issued on January 22, 2013.
Certificate – certified graduation date December 18, 2012. Class of certificate: Second class lower in BSc Ed Integrated Science. Name listed in the convocation pamphlet. Applied for 100-400 levels transcripts on June 1, 2023, with reference number RC 1255864 and paid the required N25,000. Applied again on January 3, 2024, with reference number RC 1556112 and paid another N25,000, making a total of N50, 000.
“The purpose of applying for the transcript was given as WES with reference number 6023927. It was for career advancement as a number of opportunities have been lost due to the delay in obtaining academic transcripts.”
When he could not get any response from the university, he escalated the issue my mailing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola on November 30, 2023. He has not got any response since.
Most recent acknowledgement of his application on the university portal was on January 24, 2024 where it was stated that an officer would be assigned to attend to his request.
What is a transcript?
A transcript is a certified record (inventory) of a student throughout study having full enrollment history including all courses (or subjects) attempted, grades earned and degrees and awards conferred.
The creation of the Electronic Transcripts and Documents Exchange in Nigeria (ETX-NG) in 2013 by ETX Solutions Nigeria Limited in partnership with universities for smooth transfer of transcripts to institutions and organisations that require them, has not helped the situation.
“I paid for courier service for my daughter’s transcript”
When Victor’s daughter, who graduated from the Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun State wanted to further her studies at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, apart from paying for the document, he also paid for courier service to get it to the desired destination.
In a chat with New Daily Prime he stated, “I paid the official fee of N17,000 to get the document processed and also dropped tips here and there. Moreover, I had to pay for a courier service so that it would get to the university in Ile Ife on time. It was for admission purposes and I would not want my child to miss the opportunity.”
Victor opined that official payment made ought to cover the cost of quick delivery of the document to where it is sent.
A Lagos-based journalist, Josephine, who attended the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, recalled, “I paid for all the years I have left the school. Before I could get it, it was hell. You know our documents were in file form, and they had to search and search for weeks before they could get my file. Each step was paid for.
“Now that they are using computers it will be better for students. Every process is money. I also paid for a courier and envelope to send to the organization that requested it which I didn’t get a response from. So, whether they got it or not, I couldn’t trace it. I had to go back and request for a copy which I also paid for,” she said.
Prince Emeka Efeizomor who recently procured a transcript for a US-based sister had a rather ugly experience saying, “This was at the University of Port Harcourt, Unique UNIPORT they call it. My sister graduated in English in 1986, and worked with the Nigerian security agency with her degree before leaving for the US. It was not the first transcript she would procure, so it wasn’t supposed to be difficult.
“I went with a copy of the applicant’s certificate obtained from the institution. You won’t believe it, the first official I met at Exams and Records asked me to pay N10,000 for Graduation Gown before he would start anything.
“I told him, Oga, the transcript has nothing to do with the graduation gown. We are talking about an alumnus who graduated nearly 40 years ago. Having her certificate means she has done due clearance and owes the school no fee. But I sacrificed the money just to make progress.
“A couple of days later, he hit me with a rude shock. The UNIPORT official said my sister’s certificate was a fake result, and that I could be arrested. Confident the result was genuine; I went to the Department of English in the Faculty of Humanities she graduated from.
“To cut a long story short, her file was intact. I came back to the Exams and Records where they confirmed she had procured the transcript on two occasions earlier. My sister applied for both hardcopy and electronic copies through WES to the US destination. And a student copy as well.
“We paid nearly N170,000 to get everything done. The WES copy was the most important and it took some delay, but eventually, it was received at the other end. I think there is a need for improvement in their record keeping to ease the process when people apply for a transcript.”
How much do schools charge?
The cost is dependent on the institution and the location the document is going to be sent to.
The average cost is between N25,000 and N70,000. For instance, the University of Lagos charges N25, 000, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State charges N37, 000 and the University of Ilorin, Kwara State charges N40, 000.
Factors hindering smooth processing of transcripts
NDP observed that two main factors are responsible for the delay in getting the document processed on time by higher institutions in the country.
The first is the reliance on manual process. It is true that some of the affected schools have started the process of digitizing their record keeping activities, there are still many gaps to be filled. The other is inadequate manpower that has led to the workers expecting to be tipped before they would work.
“Yes, some of the institutions are gradually digitizing the process of keeping their records, but for those who graduated many years ago, their records were kept in files. If anything happens to the Exam and Record Department or the files were burnt or destroyed one way of the other, to replicate them would require each former student bringing their results they were earlier issued for compilation. Some of these people are no longer in the country, some of them may have lost their results too.
“The other issue is that most of these schools do not have enough staff members to man some sections. Even if you have the computers, it is people that would input data into them. Remember that it is the same Exam and Record Department that takes care of the data of new intakes too. During admission period, the pressure on the workers is always too much and the need to begin to influence them to attend to your case will rise,” Joshua Obadina stated.
Japa Syndrome aggravates demand for document
With many young Nigerians streaming aboard for greener pastures, the demand for such official document either for further studies or employment opportunities has been on the rise.
Even, the opportunity teachers in Nigeria now have to relocate to a place like UK if registered with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, has led to the exodus of over 5,000 teachers from Nigeria. This is separate from medical and nursing personnel that are leaving in droves daily.
What schools are doing
Speaking on the issue, the Director of Information, University of Ilorin, Mr Kunle Akogun, said, “The transcript collection process has been digitised, whereby our ex-students in need of it need to apply online.
“In normal circumstances, the transcripts are delivered online, within 24 hours, to the addresses provided after the payment of the necessary charges. In cases where the student’s spreadsheet is not readily available at the Transcript Office, it could take between 48 hours and 72 hours to deliver. This is because the candidate’s old Department has to be contacted for necessary action to fish out the spreadsheet.” he said.
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Also, a spokesman for a university in Ondo State, who craved anonymity, noted that the number of persons seeking to get their transcripts far outweighs what the staff in the Exams and Records Department could cope with.
“With the huge number of Nigerians going abroad for further studies because of the attached benefit of going with family members, the pressure to get the document is high.
“Some applicants can even give wrong details of themselves or the places they want their transcripts sent to. Added to that is the penchant of people to get things done as fast as possible and inducing those in charge. That could make doing it on a first come first served basis to be impossible, “ he stated.
