Eyitayo Folorunso
I watched with keen interest as the news broke about the dreadful performance of Nigerian students in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), as released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The statistics were shocking: a staggering 76% failure rate. My concern deepened when I heard the Minister of Education quickly attribute this monumental national setback to reforms aimed at curbing examination malpractice. I will address that assertion later in this letter.
Based on the released data, about 1,955,069 candidates sat for the exam, but only 420,415 scored above 200. This implies that more than 1.5 million candidates fell short of the threshold. Where did we go wrong?
In the 1990s, I remember how JAMB conducted UTME with paper and pencil. Candidates were given adequate time to finish, and we had the chance to review our answers, erase mistakes, and think through questions properly. Since the gradual phasing out of paper-based exams began in 2007, performance has consistently declined, largely due to the country’s unprepared adoption of the Computer-Based Test (CBT) model in an effort to emulate Western practices. While modernization is commendable, it must be matched with proper infrastructure and readiness. Does Nigeria currently have what it takes to fully implement CBT? The answer is, sadly, doubtful. This is more than a political campaign against exam malpractice—it is a systemic failure.
Candidates who sat for the 2025 exam reported persistent issues: systems shutting down intermittently, slow reboots, poor internet connectivity, incomplete questions on screens, and multiple technical glitches. Who is held accountable for these failures? Should we insist on CBT at all costs, even when we lack the necessary infrastructure?
I recall my experience during my NYSC posting in some northern schools where students were being taught computer operations using stones to simulate a mouse. “Move it to the left, now to the right,” the teacher would instruct with the best intentions—but in vain. Most of our schools remain grossly underfunded. Many students learn in deplorable conditions. Teachers’ salaries are either unpaid or delayed, often until they are in desperate conditions. Many educators are unmotivated, struggling simply to survive in a harsh economy. How then can they give their best to students?
Back then, we had laboratories and decent classrooms. Today, some schools don’t even have proper roofing. This deterioration has given rise to mushroom secondary schools where unemployed and often unqualified individuals teach subjects they barely understand. A friend once told me how a school head told him: You studied Arts, you should be able to teach Basic Maths and English. This crisis did not begin today.
Poverty has fueled exam malpractice. Teachers leak questions, parents pay for miracles, and students rely on special centers. These practices have created a generation of students who can’t write a simple argumentative essay without copying from somewhere. The 2025 results are a clear reflection of this decay.
On a related note, I must mention the overreliance on AI tools. While they serve some positive purposes, they are fast eroding students’ cognitive ability. Some cannot spell simple words like education without resorting to AI. Sentence construction and basic grammar are becoming foreign concepts. If care is not taken, we will soon have a generation that cannot even spell the word “spell.”
This crisis is multifaceted. It goes far beyond the government’s crackdown on exam malpractice. If we do not tackle the root causes, this educational disaster will persist.
My Suggestions:
While the following suggestions may not solve every problem, they can contribute to the ongoing discourse:
Address the root causes: The government must urgently address poverty, economic instability, and chronic underfunding in the education sector. A demotivated teacher cannot build a motivated student.
Make CBT optional: Candidates should be allowed to choose between CBT and paper-based options. Not every student is computer-literate, and they should not be penalized for it. Paper-based exams, in many cases, were more reliable and less prone to technical failure.
Flexible UTME schedule: Why is UTME held only once a year? Just like O’Level exams, UTME should be held multiple times annually. Universities and polytechnics should also have the autonomy to organize make-up exams for those who fail UTME, instead of forcing them to wait another year.
Promote vocational and technical education: Establish well-funded technical schools as alternatives for candidates who do not perform well in UTME. Education should not be a one-size-fits-all system.
Reduce examination layers: Despite passing UTME, students are still subjected to post-UTME exams by individual institutions. What, then, is the point of UTME? A single, well-structured entrance exam should suffice.
Structural—not forceful—reforms: Government should avoid forceful measures. Without structural changes, we will only be scratching the surface. Moreover, students who can afford it will continue to gain admission through unregulated private institutions, further undermining standards.
Education is not just about certificates. It is about comprehensive development. If we fail to address the real issues now, the future of our educational system is bleak.
God bless Nigeria.
Dr. Eyitayo Folorunso
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Diamond FM, University of Ibadan