A number of the candidates who wrote the 2025 College Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) have referred to as for complete cancelation of the outcomes.

They spoke to Each day Belief yesterday of their reactions to the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s admittance to errors that affected candidates’ efficiency within the examination.

There had been outcries in several quarters over the poor efficiency within the outcomes, whereby over 1.5 million candidates failed to attain 200. Whereas many had cited technical glitches in a number of the centres; others had blamed poor time administration and college students preparation.

JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, at a press convention in Abuja, yesterday, broke into tears as he apologised for the errors within the examination.

He mentioned the weird degree of public concern and loud complaints on the outcomes prompted the Board to do a right away overview of what occurred, which ordinarily would have been accomplished in June.

“I wish to make it clear that our overview and investigation reveal that there are grounds for the complaints about our 2025 UTME outcomes and this press convention is convened with a view to unveiling the bitter reality of our findings brazenly and objectively,” he mentioned.

In accordance with him, “As a part of our preparations for this yr, we upgraded our system from form-based to the only item-based examination, the latter of which is the worldwide commonplace now. We simulated this technique, streamlined our Autobot and Autotest methods and nonetheless went forward to develop our personal JAMBTEST, a software program innovated in-house by a small staff led by personal workers, Dubem.”

Oloyede revealed that the glitch was traced to a failure within the deployment of up to date grading software program by one in all its service suppliers.

“The difficulty particularly impacted 65 centres within the Lagos zone affecting 206,610 candidates and 92 centres in Owerri zone, affecting over 173,387 candidates.

“I apologise for the trauma precipitated the candidates and I take full accountability for this.”

The board mentioned a complete of 379,997 candidates within the 5 states of the South-East and Lagos had been affected by the glitches within the examination.

“206,610 in 65 centres had been affected in Lagos and 92 centres in Owerri zone comprising of 173,387 candidates within the 5 states of the South-east had been affected.”

He highlighted the JAMB’s strong high quality assurance methods, together with mock examinations, technical simulations and deployment of oversight groups comprising college vice-chancellors, civil society representatives, software program engineers and training consultants.

Oloyede regretted that even probably the most stringent measures couldn’t eradicate all dangers.

He mentioned: “This unlucky incident represents important self-harm to the integrity we’ve constructed over time. However we stay dedicated to transparency, equity, and fairness. It’s our tradition to confess error and take accountability.”

In response to public concern, he mentioned the Board fast-tracked its typical post-exam audit, which was initially scheduled for June.

In accordance with him, the Board convened emergency conferences with stakeholders, together with educators, psychometricians, and scholar associations, to isolate the difficulty and chart a course for remediation.

“We apologise sincerely to the Nigerian college students, dad and mom, and colleges affected. Whereas this was not a case of sabotage, the oversight by one in all our two service suppliers was inexcusable,” the registrar said.

He defined that the affected candidates could be communicated by means of SMS by at the moment in order that they may reprint their slips for rescheduled examinations on Friday and Saturday.

The system failed us – College students

Aham Ijendu Chimereze, who wrote at Distinctive Laptop Establishment in Owerri, mentioned he could be glad to retake the examination if the errors wouldn’t be repeated once more.

One other candidate, Uchenna Eme, mentioned: “I used to be scheduled to jot down my examination by 6am and the JAMB needed to prolong it to 4pm and nonetheless modified my centre identical day of the examination.

“I’ve not checked my consequence to know if I did nicely or not after the story of poor efficiency broke out, however I don’t thoughts retaking as nicely.”

One other candidate, who gave her identify as Jennifer, mentioned in the course of the examination, the electrical energy went off and the community failed.

Hassan Abdul, who took the examination in Lokoja, Kogi State, mentioned will probably be greatest if the whole outcomes are cancelled, in order that all of them retake it.

The identical views had been shared by Mercy Obinna, from Anambra. She mentioned no have to single out some centres. “Your entire train needs to be cancelled and let all of us retake the exams”, she mentioned.

However there are some college students with opposite opinion.

As an illustration, a candidate from Lagos, Shoneye Neemah Darasimi, mentioned, “After I first noticed my consequence, actually, I used to be so proud and relieved. All of the late night time and sacrifices lastly paid off.

“Now listening to that a number of the outcomes had been reversed, I’m shocked, confused, and actually heartbroken. It felt just like the system failed us. How do you inform a baby who had already began celebrating that his/her consequence won’t be actual?

“The reversal may have an effect on my possibilities of gaining admission this yr. On this nation, timing issues. That consequence was our ticket to beginning the method early. Now every thing feels unsure once more like we’re ranging from scratch.”

Falola Deborah Oluwatunmise, one other candidate who sat for the UTME in Lagos mentioned, “As you talked about this overview now, my coronary heart simply skipped. Like you understand, I wrote JAMB and I had technical glitches in my very own, like 1 – 11 for me had been simply solutions, no questions, it was solely solutions. I used to be simply seeing solely solutions and my very own examination questions stopped at 55 as a substitute of 60.

“So, like, God forbid now I’m a part of these those who they mentioned we must always retake this examination as a result of we put in our greatest within the final one, and it’s simply that individuals failed so much.

“The examination went easily for me, I truly did my greatest and I’m okay with my consequence. However I’m type of scared. What in the event that they ask me to come back again and write this examination once more and God forbid, my rating is less than the one I obtained the final time? I’ll be so dissatisfied and I’ll actually hate JAMB for it and myself too.

“I really feel dissatisfied in regards to the reversal of outcomes and I simply hope I’m not amongst these that may retake the examination.”

A dad or mum, Sydney Obi, mentioned the errors within the consequence had been an enormous problem because it precipitated a number of emotional disturbance for candidates and their dad and mom.

“However just like the saying, nobody is above mistake. I believe JAMB ought to have accomplished correct auditing earlier than making official launch after the primary statistic they revealed generated so much out outcry,” he mentioned.

He suggested the JAMB to check run any new know-how earlier than utilizing it for the examination to keep away from inflicting pointless headache for candidates.

One other dad or mum, Funmilayo Lawrence mentioned, “JAMB Registrar has accomplished a superb factor to have taken accountability for the glitches within the UTME. If each workplace holder can do that, each sector will likely be higher for it.

“We will’t outright blame the registrar, the service supplier who did this will likely have compromised and we all know that something can occur on this nation. The fantastic thing about that is that these affected could be made to resit the examination, which for me is commendable.”

One other dad or mum, Ogundipe Bosede Olaitan, mentioned, “As a dad or mum once I heard that the underage candidate outcomes weren’t launched, I used to be so unhappy as a result of in the course of the registration, we weren’t instructed that the consequence was not going to be launched, what we had been instructed was that if the scholars shouldn’t have or rise up to 320, they aren’t going to provide them admission. I’m simply interesting to the JAMB officers that they need to please launch the outcomes of these underage candidates with the intention to know their efficiency.”

JAMB ought to get a brand new software program – Don

Chatting with Each day Belief, a professor on the Nasarawa State College, Keffi, Nasiru Idris, mentioned, “JAMB ought to be certain that the outcomes come out instantly as that may go a good distance in addressing a number of the points, however so far as you might be giving sooner or later, week or month will probably be open to manipulation.

“So, I’m of the opinion that JAMB ought to search for a software program that may disclose consequence instantly after answering the final query.”

An academic knowledgeable, Oyarekhua Happiness mentioned, “You may’t inform me JAMB will encourage failures. If they really failed, it’s comprehensible however giving them what they didn’t deserve makes it appear unjust, so the reversal is justified.

“Going ahead, I believe correct measures must be put in place, they’re undoubtedly not new to this, they need to channel extra efforts and search for the way to innovate and add extra concepts with the intention to keep away from such glitches. It is a nationwide problem they usually can’t preserve going back and front on points like this.

It’s a superb step, hopefully one of the best will come out for it.”

Supply: Each day Belief