The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has finally admitted what many Nigerians suspected all along: the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination was a disaster. From technical glitches to shocking mass failures, the examination body confessed it blundered and the consequence is that over 379,997 candidates will have to retake the UTME.
The Registrar’s Tearful Confession
In what was perhaps the most dramatic moment of the press conference held in Abuja, the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, broke down in tears as he admitted to the errors that marred the 2025 UTME. “It is our culture to admit error because we know that in spite of the best of our efforts, we are human; we are not perfect,” he said while wiping tears with a handkerchief. This public apology, while emotional, does not erase the fact that hundreds of thousands of students were victims of an examination board’s failure to ensure basic technical preparedness.
Candidates to Retake Exams Amid National Confusion
JAMB has now confirmed that 157 out of 887 examination centres were affected by what they called “a technical glitch.” The result? Mass failure. In a social media post, the board admitted, “It has been established that a technical glitch affected 157 centres… responsible for the general low performance.” The decision? Affected candidates will be contacted to reprint their slips and retake the examination starting May 16, 2025. This leaves many wondering how a national examination body failed to detect and fix such an error before the exams began.
Over 1.5 Million Students Score Below 200
The statistics paint an even more alarming picture. Out of 1.95 million candidates who took the exam, 1.53 million scored below 200. That’s 78.5 percent. Only 0.63 percent scored 300 and above. To say the failure rate is high is an understatement. The breakdown shows that the most populated score range was between 160 and 199, with over 983,000 candidates. Less than 0.5 percent managed to score above 300, which raises serious questions about the credibility of the entire process.
Underage, Exceptional, but Still Failed
Even the so-called “exceptionally gifted” underage candidates didn’t escape the chaos. Out of over 40,000 underage candidates who sat for the exam, only 467 met the threshold for “exceptional ability.” What does that say about JAMB’s screening? Or the fairness of the exam? Was it truly a test of intelligence or a glitchy obstacle course?
Malpractices, Investigations, and Excuses
According to JAMB, 97 candidates were caught engaging in malpractice, while over 2,000 are under investigation. Meanwhile, more than 71,000 were absent. Candidates who had biometric issues are still being processed. But let’s face it even without malpractice, the Board’s own admission shows that its systems failed miserably. JAMB said they are still processing results for blind candidates and JEOG participants. Why are results still being processed weeks after the exams?
What’s the Point of CBT If It Keeps Failing?
The Board prides itself on its anti-malpractice technology, which the Minister of Education claims has made cheating nearly impossible. But maybe it’s also made passing nearly impossible. If cheating has been stopped but results are worse, should we be celebrating or mourning? The same system that is praised for integrity is now under scrutiny for failure.
Legal Action Looms
As frustration mounts nationwide, there are growing reports of legal action being considered by affected candidates and their parents. And rightly so. Students spend years preparing for UTME, only to be failed by the very system that should be guiding them. A mass retake sounds like a remedy, but is it justice? Is JAMB ready to refund transport, emotional damage, and lost time?
JAMB Admits Error in 2025 UTME: A National Disgrace
In the end, no amount of emotional confession can mask what this really is a national disgrace. “JAMB admits error in 2025 UTME” is not just a headline; it’s a chilling summary of a failed system. From the introduction to the conclusion of this entire saga, the keyword remains: failure not of students, but of an institution trusted with their future.
The Beginning of the End?
As JAMB orders a post-examination review and brings in “experts,” the public waits. But if this mess is anything to go by, the review should start with JAMB itself. Because what happened in 2025 isn’t just an error, it’s a warning that the system is broken.
And the fact that JAMB admits error in 2025 UTME, after weeks of denial and silence, only proves one thing students were never the problem. The system is.
