By Oladosu Adebola Oluwaseun
Today, I address a serious issue that has deeply troubled our nation: the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) technical crisis. The widespread public concern following the result releases demands immediate and transparent action to restore confidence in our education system.Firstly, I acknowledge the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, and his team for their honesty and responsibility in admitting the technical errors that impacted nearly 380,000 candidates in the South-East and Lagos. Their prompt apology and offer of retake examinations demonstrate a commitment to fairness.
However, these actions cannot fully address the distress and disruption experienced by students and their families. Tragically, a student lost their life, driven to suicide by the stress of these results. We extend our deepest condolences to their loved ones.The Technical Problems Explained
The technical review revealed that a crucial system update, necessary for new answer shuffling and validation processes, was not applied to the servers serving 157 centers in the South-East and Lagos.The 2025 UTME introduced three major changes: a shift to source-based result analysis, full-scale question and answer shuffling, and system improvements to reduce lag. While these changes were technically sound, a critical implementation error occurred.Specifically, the required system update was correctly deployed in the Kaduna (KAD) zone, but not in the Lagos (LAG) zone, which covers Lagos and the South-East. This error persisted until the 17th session, when it was detected and corrected.
Consequently, 92 centers in the South-East and 65 in Lagos, totaling 157 centers, operated with outdated server logic. This affected approximately 379,997 candidates, whose results were skewed due to system mismatches during answer validation.Independent verification by the Educare Technical Team, analyzing data from 15,000 candidates, confirmed these findings. The affected centers operated under faulty conditions, leading to unfair disadvantages for the students. This was a preventable human error, not a student failure or deliberate sabotage.The impact has been significant. Parents and students have raised valid concerns about the rushed retake schedule, conflicts with WAEC exams, psychological stress, and logistical challenges. Reports from the retake exams highlighted difficult questions, time constraints, further technical issues, poor center management, and insufficient support.
Immediate Recommendations
To address this crisis, I urge the following actions:
Thorough Review of All Reports: JAMB must review all technical and independent reports, including data from third-party EdTech companies, to ensure a complete understanding of the situation.
Independent System Audit: JAMB should commission an external, transparent audit of its entire examination system, involving experts in technology and educational assessment.
Protection of Affected Students: JAMB must provide a clear process for result reviews and appeals, especially for those dissatisfied with the retake or who faced further technical problems. Coordination with WAEC is vital to prevent scheduling conflicts.
Transparent Communication and Data Release: JAMB should publish anonymized, candidate-level result data for independent verification and comply with Freedom of Information requests to rebuild public trust. * Enhanced Quality Assurance and Monitoring: JAMB must implement robust testing and real-time monitoring to prevent future errors. All system updates must be verified across all servers before use in high-stakes exams.ConclusionTo the affected students, your concerns are valid and heard. The integrity of our national examinations must be protected. The National Assembly will provide oversight to ensure necessary reforms are implemented.Let this unfortunate incident drive lasting improvements. Our students deserve a reliable, transparent, and trustworthy system.
Finally, I urge JAMB to: “Persist through setbacks; transparency and honesty build trust, and trust drives progress.”Thank you, and God bless Nigeria.
