✓ JAMB's CBT Model: Should NECO And WAEC Follow Suit
The mass failure in the recently held Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination triggered a national debate, with doubt about the quality and credibility of Nigeria's educational systems. It was reported by different news outlets that 39,834 candidate results were withheld due to suspected examination malpractices and other related offenses. Out of 1,955,059 candidates who sat for the examination, only 420,416 scored above 200, meaning that 75% of the candidates scored below average.
This sparked up widespread criticism on social media, with the affected persons expressing their pain and frustration, considering the hard work, resources, and efforts invested while preparing for the examination, which started on Thursday, April 24th, 2025.
On May 14th, 2025, news broke out about how a 19-year-old girl, Timilehin Faith Opesusi, who resides in Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos, committed suicide after scoring 190, which was lower than her score in 2024, that didn't gain her admission to study microbiology. Few hours after her demise, it was reported that an admission message was received via her Gmail. On this I will refer you to revisit/read "December Top Scoops In Nigeria - 1.0"; I will drop the link below for easy accessibility.
Following the high level of failure and complaints on social media, Alex Onyia, the Chief Executive Officer of Edu Care (a software solution for schools), was promoted to file a suit against JAMB, demanding a careful review of the exam, which mostly affected candidates were from Lagos and the South-Eastern part of the country. However, on Thursday, May 13th, Alex Onyia made a post on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that he had received an invitation from JAMB to visit for a thorough review of the 2025 UTME, as demanded.
On Wednesday, May 14th, 2025, the examination body, after reviewing the results through the registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, while briefing the press in Abuja, admitted that there were errors in the 2025 UTME results, which left many candidates traumatized. The affected persons were rescheduled for a resit between Friday, May 16th, and Monday, May 19th; and on Sunday, May 25th, the examination body released the results of the candidates who sat for the rescheduled UTME and there was massive improvement in scores. However, out of the 336,845 candidates rescheduled for the resit, 21,082 couldn't make it.
Even with high scores/scores improvement, not everyone who meets up with the requirements will still secure admission to the institution/course of their choice, due to high congestion in people seeking admission into universities, believing that colleges and polytechnics are made for the dumb.
A particular soundbite, aired on Nigeria Info Radio (99.3 FM) likely coined from a business conference, got my attention. The speaker, whose name I am unfamiliar with, stated that in Nigeria, regulatory bodies often go after businesses, shutting down both legal and illegal ones without proper checks, just to prove that they're working effectively. Similarly, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) released the UTME results, noticed a high failure rate, and instead of rechecking to ensure the trust expected of them wasn't broken, quickly shifted the blame on the candidates, as if they are all unserious.Though we know that Nigerian students are grappling with dwindling reading culture, which might have contributed to some failures but coming from particular region known to be performing well before and the failure rate, should have raised the inquisitiveness to ascertain that fault weren't from their end.
Whether the issue originated from the vendor JAMB used or not, JAMB should have been more inquisitive after seeing the results, considering the massive failure rate in one region of the country, including Lagos. They should have reviewed the exam before releasing the results to the public. If the results were accurate, it would have saved them the national disgrace and breakdown of trust.
If the result wasn't contested, it would become a norm for JAMB to record high failure rates year after year. It's now looking like the body isn't meeting up with the aim of it's establishment, as it appears they're more concerned about revenue generation.
I would have suggested scrapping the body, but it provides livelihoods for many people. Instead, I suggest that the federal government consider extending the validity period of the exam results to at least two years. Additionally, they should address the Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) dichotomy, allowing candidates to apply to any institution confidently. Instead of establishing more institutions.
Recall that on April 28th, Nigerian dailies reported that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, linked the high level of low performance to the success of the war against malpractices by the exam body. He claimed that the computer-based system had made cheating "nearly impossible," which seems to be true. He recommended that other national exam bodies, like the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), should also adopt a computer-based test system, which relies on objective questions.
Despite being an advocate for the embracement of technology and its infusion into education, I am against the idea of turning examinations like WAEC and NECO into full computer-based tests (CBT) that rely solely on objective questions. This will favor the body in charge in terms of easy grading, and will also eliminate personal biases while grading. However, it won't give candidates the opportunity to infuse their creativity, critical thinking, and effectively communicate their thoughts on any topic or question.
The best and balanced approach to assess students is through a combination of both objective and subjective questions. This gives you more ability to assess their ability and brilliance. We should also consider schools in rural areas where electricity might be a big issue and the candidates might be Technophobic.
Let's be sincere to ourselves, we all know that our educational system needs total reform. Let us acknowledge our flaws, stop the blame game and work together in building a world-class system that we can be are proud of.
You can also read:
https://championnews.com.ng/2024/12/25/version-1-0-december-top-scoops-in-nigeria-my-two-cents/
https://talk2chukaben.blogspot.com/2024/12/version-10-december-top-scoops-in.html?m=1
✓ Mandatory Voting In Nigeria: A Reciprocal Relationship
The recent bill to mandate voting in Nigeria is another top story, worthy of public discourse. The bill, which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and co-sponsored by Daniel Asama Ago, stipulates that eligible voters who fail to participate in elections will be jailed for six months or fined one hundred thousand naira (N100,000). The bill aims to build political participation.
While I am not against the proposal, nor am I ready to argue if it's against our fundamental human rights, I do have questions for our leaders. The question I have to ask our leaders is: why are they after votes? Is it the only civic responsibility of citizens? In a real democratic state, citizens have roles to play to ensure government officials are accountable, and this is done through voting, protests, and public discourse/opinion (either verbal or written).
When we protest and share opinions through music, commentary, etc., we get arrested or clamped down by the government. I believe this should be reciprocal. As they perform their duties, which are to serve us, protect lives and properties, provide basic amenities, and maintain law and order, citizens will definitely come out willingly to show their support, considering how good an administrative or office holder has performed.
There is an Igbo adage that says, "Aka nri kwo aka ekpe, aka ekpe akwo aka nri," which in English means, "If the right hand washes the left hand, the left hand will wash the right hand." Similarly, in Pidgin English, they say, "Scratch my back, I will scratch yours." It is of no doubt that there are nations that have adopted this system, but the government has tried to play its role by providing necessary basic amenities and ensuring lives and properties are protected.
However, the situation in Nigeria is different. In Nigeria, election days are always dangerous, with the level of ballot box snatching and thuggery sponsored by some political parties and their candidates being enough reason for a citizen to decide to stay indoors instead of risking their life.
Interestingly, the bill has taken a new turn. On Monday, 26th May, it was reported that the bill, which has already passed its second reading in the House, was withdrawn by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, following backlash from Nigerians, and I acknowledge the withdrawal.
Egungwu Chukwuka Benjamin is a freelance journalist, who writes in from Lagos.
NB: This article was originally published in The Champion Newspaper on 28th May, 2025.
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