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The controversy trailing the just concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the eventual confirmation of technical glitch which led to mass failure of candidates from South-east, some parts of South-west and Lagos state was undeniably a sad and embarrassing moment for Nigeria. The incident did not only expose the hidden and deliberately covered up inefficiencies of examination bodies in Nigeria but interrogates for the umpteenth time why candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions are forced to write multiple examinations.
Many special thanks to Alex Onyia, Chief Executive Officer, Educare, who independently appraised the JAMB examination results and noticed glaring anomalies. He was compelled to request that JAMB opens itself up for investigation and share relevant information bordering on the examination for further scrutiny. In the end, it was confirmed that approximately 379,000 candidates were seriously affected by a technical glitch which prevented candidates from completing the exam resulting to the catastrophe.
Nigeria is the only nation where students write multiple examinations to gain admission into tertiary institutions – universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. There are about four or more bodies with one singular mandate for the above purpose. They are the Joint admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), West African Examination Council (WAEC) which conducts two annual examinations, namely: Senior Secondary Schools Certificates Examination (SSCE) and the General Certificate of education (GCE). There is the National Examination Council (NECO). Another one is the National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB) as well as the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS).
These examination bodies as far as many Nigerians are concerned are unfortunately legal entities created simply to generate money for government, fund pretensions of value and profligacies of the agency. They overburden parents with unnecessary expenses and constantly put students under pressure with additional tests they are ideally never meant to take. The evident duplication of bodies with the same responsibilities for the same purpose is absolutely unnecessary. It has not in any way made much educational difference or common sense.
What is apparently noticeable is that students and candidates seeking admission into higher institutions are constantly on the go with unending circle of annually writing one exam or the other. Over time, it has become clear that these agencies have lost steam and failed to live up to their expectation. It is, therefore, imperative to morph these exams into one harmonised national entity for sanity and exam cost reduction for families.
Nigerians should understand that the cycle of incongruency created by exam bodies is a deliberate leadership short-sightedness. Understandably, a good result from one of these bodies is the only piece of requirement for admission into tertiary institution. Then, why expending scarce resources on many and compelling poor parents to spend unnecessarily more?
Despite the fact that the introduction of Computer Based Test (CBT) has transformed JAMB exams, what stops the board from revealing the results immediately is a topic for another day. One sad feature of JAMB has been the manner it organises exams especially the timing and allocation of centres to candidates. It is inconceivable to note that the board fixes examination for teenagers at 6 a.m and even assign centres far away from candidates’ states of residence.
This has exposed parents and their children to untold hardship, dangers and forced them to bear costs and inconveniences that should have been resolved with one exam. JAMB should review the above two vital concerns in the interest of the harsh economic situation and safety of the children. The ongoing WAEC examination is not in any way different as it has also witnessed extended hours on account of glitches leaving helpless children and their parents to bear the brunt.
Universities/polytechnics or monotechnics ultimately decide who they admit as students not the other way round. That was why the Conference of Vice Chancellors through a memo signed by Dr. Chinwe Obaji, the then minister of state for education, introduced what we now know as post-UTME test. In Canada, when a student gets to years 10-12, he or she takes a school exam.
The examination could be done multiple times until the required grades for admission into any university are obtained. With that, the person needs not to write any other exams in the name of gaining admission into a university or college. In the United Kingdom, students write General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) the WAEC equivalent, pass and send results to their choice universities or colleges and they will be offered admission. But in Nigeria, the student will write a line-up of three or more exams to gain admission into a poorly funded and ranked university not comparable to any one in global top 20 admitting students with a one page application.
The conditions that led to the creation of these bodies are nothing more than religious, tribal or political exigencies of that era. Times have significantly changed and the nation should change too. Therefore, Nigeria should be in pursuit of what works and the finest obtainable global practices. Kudos to parents who suffer with their children in this journey to make them educated, responsible and better citizens. The laws establishing these examination bodies should be reviewed to align with the reality of our time.
It is unfortunately that the number of these exam bodies could not guarantee excellent results or something better. The quality of education in Nigeria is nothing compared to what is obtainable in countries where one or no multiple examination is conducted for admission into colleges or universities. The ultimate lesson remains that good governance, excellent political legacies and smart policies guiding education are driving forces to attaining better results not multiple examinations. We have only succeeded in burdening parents with extra expenses and young people with needles exams that does not aid their educational pursuit and growth.
Sunday Onyemaechi Eze is a lecturer, Department of Mass Communication and Head, Internationalisation and Partnership, Coal City University, Enugu, Enugu state
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