JAMB, WAEC Saga: The Real Test of Nigeria’s Exams

A recent misstep by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), along with ongoing concerns regarding the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), reflects a larger, deeper national issue surrounding technological implementation, institutional credibility, and a significant absence of public confidence, thus highlighting the necessity for a nationwide dialogue about the country’s preparedness for a digital future. As Nigeria accelerates towards digitisation, IYABO LAWAL considers whether it is constructing a foundation of trust or simply automating its existing dysfunctions.

Nigeria’s educational framework, historically viewed as a fundamental pillar of national advancement, has recently been clouded by controversies that raise serious questions regarding the integrity and effectiveness of two key examination entities — the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

These organisations play crucial roles in facilitating access to higher education and certifying academic accomplishments; however, the recent incidents related to the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the last West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) have unveiled systemic vulnerabilities that require reflection, reform, and decisive action.

In fact, the problems arising from the 2025 UTME initiated a wave of public scrutiny directed at JAMB. About 1.95 million candidates took part in this computer-based test intended to transform university admissions in Nigeria.

Yet, the results incited a national outcry. Nearly 1.35 million candidates scored below the passing mark of 200 out of a possible 400, a statistic that starkly opposes expectations and standards, given the number of candidates and their levels of preparation.

Observers found it particularly baffling that some candidates achieved outstanding scores in science subjects — such as physics or agriculture — while still receiving an F9 (fail) in English Language, a subject essential for comprehension and communication across all fields.

Questions regarding why candidates excelled in other subjects but performed poorly in English Language raise valid points of confusion for many individuals. From both academic and technical perspectives, this situation should not be regarded as an anomaly.

Performance in a subject like physics or agricultural science is evaluated based on a candidate’s capacity to apply scientific concepts and principles, solve problems, and analyse data.

Although examination questions are presented in English, success relies on specific subject knowledge rather than proficiency in English itself. A candidate might possess a thorough understanding of the scientific content, but may encounter difficulties with the grammar and composition requirements of the English Language exam.

JAMB’s Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, admitted that substantial technical difficulties arose during the 2025 UTME.

It was disclosed that nearly 380,000 candidates experienced a significant server malfunction, particularly in Lagos and the South-East region. This issue stemmed from a third-party service provider’s failure to update the essential delivery server before the examination.

This oversight led to improper uploads of candidate responses from the first five days of the exam, thereby skewing the official results. As a result, JAMB had to mandate a resit for the affected candidates, leading to anxiety and uncertainty for students and their families.

While this remedial action was commendable in terms of damage control, it underscored the precarious condition of digitisation initiatives within the Nigerian examination system.

The rescheduled tests, conducted under immense pressure, only showed slight improvements in results. More than 70 percent of candidates still did not reach the benchmark, revealing ongoing structural difficulties in both education and exam management.

The technical failure not only highlighted deficiencies in the deployment of technology but also illustrated a lack of thorough preparedness for fully digitised national examinations.

Performance in a subject like physics or agricultural science is evaluated based on a candidate’s capacity to apply scientific concepts and principles, solve problems, and analyse data.

JAMB’s Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede, admitted that substantial technical difficulties arose during the 2025 UTME.

While this remedial action was commendable in terms of damage control, it underscored the precarious condition of digitisation initiatives within the Nigerian examination system.

The technical failure not only highlighted deficiencies in the deployment of technology but also illustrated a lack of thorough preparedness for fully digitised national examinations.

The scenario surrounding JAMB is just one part of a larger story about the systemic problems affecting Nigeria’s examination bodies.

This year’s WASSCE results further muddied public perceptions. When WAEC published results in early August, the initial pass rate was shockingly low, around 38.32 percent. Just four days later, following an internal review that identified technical issues, WAEC adjusted the pass rate to about 62.96 percent.

The council clarified that a “paper serialisation” initiative, aimed at improving examination security, unintentionally led to mishandling in the marking process, particularly in critical subjects like mathematics, English language, biology, and economics.

In Nigeria, 1.517 million candidates took the 2025 WASSCE. However, only 77.06 percent of candidates had their complete results released, as nearly 23 percent of their results were temporarily withheld pending verification.

Approximately 192,000 candidates, which accounts for nearly 10 percent of all test takers, were flagged for suspected malpractice and did not receive their results, emphasizing ongoing issues with examination integrity.

These disturbing findings from WAEC led to the temporary closure of its result portal and raised concerns about the solidity of the examination security systems and the precision of the grading process.

Parents, students, and education stakeholders voiced worries regarding the fairness and accuracy of the grading, particularly concerning essential subjects like English language, which is often a significant barrier to accessing higher education and employment when not passed.

The specifics regarding the initially low and then quickly increased pass rates fueled skepticism about WAEC’s administration and the dependability of its data management.

Beyond the immediate technical issues and grading disputes, these intertwined crises within Nigeria’s examination organizations highlight profound challenges in the country’s education governance and digital preparedness.

JAMB, WAEC Saga: The Real Test of Nigeria’s Exams

The collapse of JAMB’s 2025 UTME laid bare weak contracts, inadequate oversight, insufficient technological infrastructure, and a disjointed assessment system that fails to integrate educational data in a coherent and verifiable way.

The individual systems operated by JAMB, WAEC, and others do not share information, leading to redundancy, mistakes, and chances for malpractice.

These structural issues undermine public trust in what ought to be the most credible educational institutions in the country.

Additionally, the existing model’s dependence on high-stakes singular examinations places overwhelming pressure on both candidates and administrative bodies, magnifying the repercussions of any technical or procedural failures. This scenario results in a cascading loss of trust in examination results and, consequently, educational certification in Nigeria.

When looking beyond Nigeria, nearby countries provide models that focus on integration and continuous assessment, moving away from a singular “make-or-break” national exam. For instance, South Africa does not have an examination body similar to JAMB. Instead, its education and admission framework is founded on a point-based school certification system where students earn points throughout their secondary education via ongoing assessments and final national school-leaving exams.

In other words, university admissions are determined by the cumulative points obtained from high school certificates rather than through a centralised entrance exam.

This point-based approach lessens the burden on students to perform exceptionally in a single, high-pressure examination and helps mitigate the kind of system-wide failure experienced in Nigeria’s 2025 UTME.

It also encourages a more comprehensive assessment of student capabilities by integrating various academic successes over time instead of placing excessive emphasis on a one-time performance that could be affected by technical difficulties or disruptions on exam day. The South African model also faces its own challenges, including variations in education quality across different schools and the potential for grade inflation. Here is an overview of how the South African system operates: for their final high school evaluation, students take a national matriculation examination in their last year of high school.

Every subject score is converted into a corresponding point value. For instance, achieving 90 percent in a subject might equate to eight points, whereas a 70 percent score could be valued at six points.

Universities calculate an Admissions Points Score (APS) using a weighted average of these points. Each university and department establishes its own minimum APS required for admission.

In competitive programs like medicine, a university may set a very high APS requirement, while programs that are less competitive might have a lower threshold. Students submit applications directly to their preferred universities, which then base admission decisions on their APS.

Considerations around cost and efficiency are also important. Conducting a nationwide computer-based examination for nearly two million candidates necessitates extensive technological resources, logistical management, and financial backing.

Government entities, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have faced challenges from cyberattacks targeting their election systems.

If an electoral management authority confronts ongoing digital threats, it is not surprising that examination bodies, which typically have fewer resources and less oversight, experience technical failures and security vulnerabilities.

In an era of rapid digitization, essential measures like strong cybersecurity, regular system audits, and emergency procedures must be implemented to uphold public confidence and operational reliability.

A potential path forward for Nigeria entails the creation of an integrated examination and education data platform. This platform would merge systems for registration, examination management, grading, and verification across institutions like JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and others.

It would guarantee a smooth transfer of candidate data, minimize redundancy, enable result cross-validation, and promote transparency. Additionally, it would allow for real-time audit trails and provide candidates access to verified data, helping to preempt disputes and confusion.

Stakeholders, however, have pointed out that simply digitizing processes will not resolve Nigeria’s educational challenges. They argue that there must be a comprehensive reform of curricula, teaching practices, school funding, and examination formats.

Dr. Paul Adelola, an education expert, stated that the long-standing high failure rates underline issues that extend beyond mere administration.

“Inadequate educational foundations lead to poorly prepared candidates, and even the most advanced technology cannot make up for that,” he remarked.

To rebuild public trust, there must be a commitment to continuous transparency, accountability, and communication. The uproar over the 2025 UTME and WASSCE results caused significant worry among students and parents, many of whom questioned the official explanations.

Education Consultant Jumoke Olaniran pointed out that the withholding of results, repeated re-examinations, and revisions of results indicate systemic instability rather than corrective actions.

Olaniran emphasized that examination bodies must not only address technical issues but also engage in educational reforms that enhance teaching quality, student readiness, and institutional governance.

“Moreover, it is valuable to reconsider the necessity of the UTME as a compulsory barrier for all students seeking tertiary education. Can Nigeria adopt insights from South Africa’s approach, where continuous assessment and school-leaving results are more significant in university admissions? Reducing reliance on a risky, single-examination model could distribute risks, enhance educational achievements, lower costs, and relieve both candidates and administrators from the stress of an annual testing event,” Olaniran suggested.

Similarly, university lecturer Dr. Chris Udegbe noted that the recent crises involving Nigeria’s foremost examination bodies and the deeper issues in digitization, governance, and educational quality signal a pivotal moment for the education system.

Udegbe stressed the importance of Nigeria implementing a multi-faceted strategy that bolsters technological infrastructure, guarantees cybersecurity, integrates examination data systems, raises teaching and learning standards, and redefines assessment methods.

By doing so, he believes Nigeria can restore faith in its examination authorities, ensure equitable admissions, and provide students with reliable certification.