Chinedum Elekwachi
It’s no longer news that the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), body responsible for conducting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has it rough with the 2025 entrance examination. For the very first time in Nigerian history, the examination body repeated its examination following what it referred to as technical glitches.
Aside the weeping accompanied with apologies by the Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede in the presence of education policy makers, concerned parents and other stakeholders, prompted by public outcry, the fact that the exam body admitted that it goofed was obvious evidence of failing system.
Although the candidates who sat for the botched examination were given another opportunity to rewrite the exam, the emotional, psychological and physical trauma the concerned students were subjected to was better imagined than experienced.
Some of the candidates, regrettably were not alive to sit to the rescheduled exam. Statistics had it that while some lost their lives out of shock, others took their lives as they could not come to terms with their abysmal performances. A parent reportedly took two days permission from work to stay at home with his ward in a 48-hour counselling session to ensure he did not lose the child to shock orchestrated by the results.
Even for those still alive to rewrite the exam, the whole thing made no sense to them. Many entered the exam hall with fear and trembling. Apart from the psychological state under which they wrote the exam, many confessed that the former edition of the exam was much easier than the later. The exam body is in the best position to explain the reason. Despite that, the results of the rescheduled exam showed obvious injustice on the part of JAMB authority.
Imagine a candidate scoring 177 in the botched examination after boasting of 369 score following series of rehearsal with past question papers. The same candidate later got 359 in the rescheduled exam. This was a proof that the 369 score was not just a mere boast. The same was applicable to several of the students.
Bird of same feather
Three months after, comes the turn of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), another exam body saddled with the responsibility of organizing entrance exam for students wishing to further their studies to tertiary institutions. The same set of students, sadly are currently undergoing another set of trauma, no thanks to WASSCE.
Apart from the instance of the ugly experience of English language “night exam” paper, sitting for the series of exams which lasted for about two months, and waiting patiently for the release of the results which also took barely two months were enough “emotion triggering.”
WASSCE had, on August 5 announced release of the 2025 results for school candidates. Head of Nigeria Office (HNO), Dr. Amos Dangut, however noted that the results showed a decline in performance. According to him, there was a 33.8 per cent decrease in performance of those who obtained Credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, compared to last year’s examination results.
The information, expectedly attracted with mixed reactions. While those with outstanding performances celebrated the results, others called for its withdrawal, citing certain irregularities, including the English language paper bitter experience.
Another technical glitch
Surprisingly, the exam body, the following day announced temporary withdrawal of the Examination due to what it referred to as discovery of technical issues in the result release process. According to a statement issued by the Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, the decision followed an internal review which revealed glitches resulting from a recently adopted paper serialization system aimed at curbing examination malpractice.
“As part of our efforts to curb examination malpractice, the Council embarked on an innovation already deployed by a national examination body,” the statement says. The paper serialization affected Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Economics. However, an internal post result release procedure revealed some technical bugs in the results,” the statement said.
The question is: why announcing results you will withdraw two days after? What are those admitted glitches you were not able to discover before releasing the results? Why always waiting for public outcry before doing the “so-called needful”? How sure are you that the new results would be satisfactory to all concerned and not still be rejected by some? These and many more are grave issues these exam bodies must provide answers to.
On the whole, subjecting these innocent students to these series of emotional and psychological trauma must be vehemently condemned by all and sundry. Their lives and sensibilities are too tender and sensitive to be toyed with. Enough of these costly technical glitches.
