This year the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) released results that sent shockwaves through Nigeria. 76% of candidates scored below 200 out of 400.

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Chinonso is 20. She scored 265 in the last JAMB. It wasn’t her first time,this was her third try. Her older brother calls her “Professor” at home, but every morning, she folds her bedsheet like a boarder and washes her uniform of disappointment. Her dreams of studying Medicine at UNN are real, but in Nigeria, dreams don’t always respond to effort. They respond to systems. And JAMB is one.

The Nigeria’s higher education landscape, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) stands tall,not as a bridge to opportunity, but often as a toll gate. It was meant to be the great equalizer, a merit-based filter that allowed every student, regardless of background, a fair shot at higher education. But that promise has been swallowed by its own contradictions.

In 1978, Nigeria established the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to unify and standardize the university admissions process. Before JAMB, each university conducted its own entrance exams, leading to inconsistencies, multiple admissions for some candidates, and exclusion for others. JAMB aimed to promote fairness, reduce the financial and logistical burden on students, and streamline admissions by introducing a single, standardized examination.

Over the years, JAMB’s role expanded to include admissions into polytechnics and colleges of education. Technological advancements, such as the introduction of Computer-Based Testing (CBT), were implemented to enhance the examination process. 

However, despite these improvements, challenges persist. Issues like the validity period of results, the necessity of post-UTME screenings by universities, and concerns about the overall efficiency of the admission process have led to criticisms. These ongoing issues bring to light the need for continuous evaluation and reform to ensure that JAMB fulfills its original mandate of providing a fair and efficient admission process for all Nigerian students.

A student journeys through many kilometers to reach an exam center. He writes the test under pressure, dodges epileptic power supply, unfamiliar computers, and the hum of invigilators pacing behind him. He passes. He rejoices. Then comes the slow death of hope,no admission. No reason. Just a blinking portal that never calls his name.

JAMB is the only examination in Nigeria where you can pass excellently and still fail.

The 2025 statistics are in,1.5 Million students out of the 1.9 Million students scored below 200.Parents are crying, students are wailing, private schools are fuming.

The system’s cracks have widened into chasms. Social media erupted with hashtags like #ThisIsNotMyResult, a digital cry from students who believe their futures have been tampered with. Stunned by the inexplicably low scores and baffled by the silence from those entrusted with the nation’s academic gateway.

The nation shrugs. Was it a system glitch? A tougher grading scheme? Or just the final nail in the coffin of our broken foundational education? Nobody knows. The Registrar just said it is error on their part.JAMB offers no real answers ,just numbers.

But beyond the numbers are names,dreams future leaders. Lives. Talents stalled like cars on a bad Nigerian road, waiting for a system to clear.

What makes this even more tragic is the expiration date of JAMB results. Unlike WAEC or NECO which remain valid for life, JAMB expires within one year,as if intelligence has a shelf life. As if a student who excelled last year is suddenly unworthy this year. The same test. The same knowledge. The same candidate. But, like milk, the result goes bad.

Their dreams are caught in bureaucratic cobwebs,the JAMB result is like a candle in the wind extinguished before it can light the way.

And if you dare to try again, you pay. Eight thousand naira in fees, sometimes more. Transport. Food. Lodging. For some families, that’s two months of survival money. Yet students repeat JAMB five, six, seven times each attempt a scar on their confidence, each result a new wound.

A system that re-tests the same students it failed to admit is not efficient,it’s cruel.

How do you explain to your child that failure wasn’t theirs, but the system’s?

Where did we go wrong?

The bitter irony is that even after passing JAMB, students must face Post-UTME another test by universities that seem to say we don’t trust JAMB either. So why does it exist? If it neither guarantees admission nor commands confidence, what exactly is JAMB’s purpose?

Technology has made JAMB’s testing more efficient, yes,computer-based testing, CCTV, quick results,but these improvements are like polishing a car with a faulty engine. It shines but doesn’t move forward.

We must ask hard questions.

Why only two university choices?

Why the rigid score cutoffs in a country of diverse talents?

Why has admission become a battlefield instead of a gateway?

The truth is, JAMB is no longer serving students,it is trapping them. It’s no longer opening doors,it is adding locks. And in the process, Nigeria is hemorrhaging its future.

A nation that needs doctors, engineers, scientists, and teachers cannot afford to put barbed wire at the entrance of education. We are turning ambition into anxiety. We are replacing merit with misery.

It is time to return power to the universities. Let them design entrance systems that reflect their disciplines and values. Let regional collaborations arise. Let holistic admissions that consider character, performance, and passion become the norm. Let no child be told, You’re not good enough, simply because a system didn’t see them.

Other countries, like South Africa, use a multi-faceted approach. The United States considers personal essays, high school performance, community involvement. They try to meet the student, not just measure them.

Nigeria can do the same. But first, we must admit this. JAMB, in its current form, is no longer fit for purpose.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) must rise to this truth. The Ministry of Education must choose courage over convenience. Former President Obasanjo, who once defended JAMB as a unifying force, would shudder to see what it has become,a bureaucratic bouncer at the gates of learning.

Chinonso still studies at home. She sat for this year’s JAMB but her scores were not close to what she has scored in the previous JAMB.Why? According to Registrar there was a system glitch and they have to resit the examination again.But this time, something inside her is breaking. “Maybe God doesn’t want me to go to school,” she told her mother yesterday.

No. It’s not God. It’s the system.

JAMB has many systemic flaws, but in this rare instance under this leadership it showed integrity. 

Amidst the despair, there was one glimmer of institutional conscience.

In an era where public institutions often double down on error rather than admit fault, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has demonstrated rare courage. An institution admits it got it wrong. That’s exactly what JAMB did. Amid loud cries from students and distressed parents over the technical chaos that marred the UTME in 157 centres across Lagos, Ebonyi, Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Enugu, JAMB didn’t hide.

They listened. They investigated. They found evidence. And they owned up.

Over 379,000 candidates were affected by the hitches. Many thought that would be the end of the road for them. But instead of sweeping it under the rug, JAMB took responsibility and scheduled a makeup exam from May 16–19. That’s not something we see every day.

It’s one thing to make mistakes. It’s another to admit them, especially in public. In a system where ego often comes first, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede chose honesty. He didn’t pass the blame. He didn’t pretend it never happened. He simply said, “We were wrong,” and moved to fix it.

That kind of leadership is rare here. It’s human. It’s decent. And it deserves acknowledgment.

Nigeria needs more of this,people who won’t let pride get in the way of doing the right thing. Well done Professor Oloyede.

The 2025 UTME results have unveiled deep-seated issues within Nigeria’s education system. This isn’t merely a reflection of student performance but a glaring indicator of systemic failures.

Technical glitches, inadequate preparation, and infrastructural deficiencies have all played a role in these outcomes. 

My take is why don’t they retake the exam for all the candidates?

This situation calls for a comprehensive review and overhaul of the examination and admission processes. It’s imperative to address these challenges head-on to restore faith in the system and ensure that students are evaluated fairly and accurately.

The future of Nigeria’s youth hinges on the integrity and effectiveness of its educational assessments. It’s time for stakeholders to come together, learn from these shortcomings, and implement lasting solutions that prioritize student success and educational excellence.

Vanguard News