…It is Garbage In, Garbage Out – ASUU

…Blame JAMB Too – NANS

…Our Experiences – Candidates, Parents

By Adesina Wahab

Reactions have continued to trail the poor performance of candidates in this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), where about 75% of the candidates scored less than 200 out of a possible 400 marks.

Parents under the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), among others, attributed the dismal performance to several factors, including lack of adequate preparation, poor facilities, and the timing of the examination.

We Are All Responsible – NAPTAN

The National President of NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, told Vanguard that all stakeholders in the education sector share the blame for the poor performance of the candidates.

“We are all responsible—parents, government, teachers, and the learners themselves. For parents, some of them are no longer serious about the education of their children. They have folded their arms, waiting for other stakeholders to do what they ought to do. Parents have abandoned their responsibilities. In fact, some parents want the teacher to do everything, not minding that their children spend more time with them than in school.”

Danjuma added that some parents prioritize shortcuts over genuine education, which has contributed to the decline.

He also criticized students for dropping the reading culture, being distracted by the pursuit of quick wealth, and seeing education as a scam.

On the government’s role, he noted that free basic education is poorly implemented and most schools are dilapidated. He questioned the effectiveness of computer-based testing (CBT) when many schools lack computer facilities for students to practice beforehand.

“How many students can even operate a computer? It is not possible to expect anything better. I wouldn’t be surprised if those who did well are from elitist private or government schools,” he said.

It Is Garbage In, Garbage Out – ASUU

The National President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, lamented that education has been neglected. He argued that the private sector dominates primary and secondary education because the public system has collapsed.

“No state governor is talking about setting up new secondary schools in recent years. At the end, these candidates are brought to us to train in the universities. Now, universities will have to lower their cut-off marks, and candidates who scored 130 or 140 out of 400 would be admitted.”

Osodeke urged the government to properly fund education and improve teacher remuneration, stating that poorly paid teachers cannot be motivated to teach effectively.

“When it is garbage in, it is going to be garbage out. If we do not fund education well, we are in big trouble,” he added.

He emphasized that ASUU has always advocated for better funding and warned that the government must recognize the critical role of education in societal progress.

Blame JAMB Too – NANS

The National Public Relations Officer of NANS, Comrade Adeyemi Samson Ajasa, blamed JAMB for the poor results, especially criticizing the timing of the exams.

“Look also at the timing of the exam; most candidates were scheduled to write their papers at 6:30 am. Why the rush to conduct the exam at such an unholy hour? When the exam was on, we issued a statement regarding this early timing. Most institutions won’t start their admission processes until maybe August or September. Why the rush?”

Ajasa suggested that JAMB could spread the exams over four weeks, starting at 10 am instead of 6:30 am to reduce the stress and tension experienced by candidates. He also referenced the tragic incident in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, where candidates lost their lives, and another case of a girl who went missing for two days.

Declining Performance Has Been Progressive – Ayodele

The Executive Director of Africa Brands Review, Joseph Ayodele, noted that the progressive decline in UTME performance over the years signals a looming generational divide in Nigerian education.

He stated that the gap between digital-native students and analogue-rooted systems is becoming more apparent, citing statistics that showed the percentage of candidates who passed UTME:

2007 – 66%

2008 – 63%

2010 – 41%

2015 – 30%

2019 – 24%

2023 – 23%

2025 – 22%

Ayodele argued that Nigeria is not ready for a digital educational paradigm shift, as e-learning infrastructure remains underdeveloped. He also highlighted issues like poor student-teacher ratios, lack of proper remuneration, and absence of robust e-learning ecosystems.

“The stark decline in scores correlates with the last significant wave of teacher recruitment in Nigeria over 15 years ago,” he observed.

Experiences of Candidates

A UTME supervisor, who wished to remain anonymous, observed that most candidates are not computer literate. Some of the complaints included:

Difficulty using capital letters for registration numbers

Inability to delete mistakes

Struggling to select answers or navigate to the next question

Lack of understanding of how to submit answers or use the calculator on screen

The supervisor suggested that sensitization programs be introduced in schools, especially in rural areas, to improve computer literacy among students.

Parents’ Experiences

Some parents shared their frustrations with Vanguard: John Adeyemo narrated how his son had to travel from Agbado, Lagos to Epe for the exam, requiring hotel accommodation for two days.

Charity Ihima called for JAMB to spread the exams over a longer period to reduce the pressure on candidates and avoid early morning stress.

She also noted that glitches at exam centers—such as power failures and computers shutting down—disrupted the examination process for many students.

“The moment your computer switches off, nothing can be done again. You cannot continue writing your exam,” she lamented.