JAMB Server Glitch Sparks New Fears Over 100% CBT Exam Plan for UTME 2025

According to OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, a recent server issue during the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s (JAMB) 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has raised serious concerns and reignited discussions regarding the validity of computer-based tests and the preparedness of testing organizations for a fully automated system.

This year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) was marred by a server issue that sent shockwaves across the country, especially in Lagos and the South-East regions where abnormally high failure rates were noted.

Many stakeholders are doubting the efficacy and dependability of computer-based tests as a result of the technological problem, which has sparked heated discussions.

Pundits pointed out that the development raises serious questions regarding Nigeria’s examination bodies’ preparedness to make the switch to fully computer-based testing, just one year before the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO) set deadlines to switch to CBT for all of their exams.

By 2026, the Federal Government intends to switch the WAEC and NECO exams to computer-based testing (CBT), citing advantages such less exam misconduct, expedited result processing, and simplified logistics.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who gave the order recently, believes that leveraging technology in examinations aligns with Nigeria’s vision to create a future-ready educational ecosystem, citing JAMB’s successful adoption of CBT for over 2.2 million candidates as a model.

Providing an implementation timeline, the minister indicated that the two examination boards would commence conducting objective tests in November 2025, with a complete transition to CBT, including essay papers, anticipated by May/June 2026.

Alausa also mentioned that a committee is presently evaluating examination standards across the nation, with recommendations due this month.

The minister additionally stated that the examination bodies would make use of JAMB’s existing 887 CBT centers throughout the country for their assessments.

As anticipated, the announcement has prompted mixed reactions from Nigerians. While some regarded the initiative as long overdue, others urged caution, pointing to technical issues, unusually low scores, and alleged irregularities in this year’s UTME that experienced an unprecedented 70 percent failure rate.

Several stakeholders have raised concerns that the recent UTME technical issues have underscored problems related to infrastructure, exam security, and student preparedness, which must be resolved prior to the shift to computer-based testing for WAEC and NECO. Others have questioned how the Federal Government intends to merge WAEC’s 20,000 examination centers with JAMB’s much more limited network of 887 centers.

Additionally, there are fears that the proposed transition to computer-based assessments may disadvantage many schools, particularly public secondary institutions and certain private ones, because of inadequate resources, such as the absence of computer labs, inconsistent internet access, unreliable power supply, and a lack of sufficiently trained teachers to adequately prepare students for these tests.

Advocates of this perspective argue that the timing of this technical glitch is particularly concerning, and they call for a reassessment of the implementation schedule, allowing for more dialogue and a reevaluation of the technical capabilities required to support nationwide computer-based examinations.

In a conversation with The Guardian regarding this issue, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), stated that this policy could restrict children’s access to education.

Rafsanjani, who also serves as the Chairman of Amnesty International Nigeria, expressed concern that the policy was deliberately created to impose difficult conditions that would hinder students from taking the exam.

The human rights advocate subsequently urged the government to promptly reassess and revise the policy to ensure that it does not unjustly exclude students and deny them educational opportunities.

He stated: “At times, our policymakers make certain decisions without considering the country’s capacity to execute those decisions or directives. I believe it is crucial that, in order to avoid embarrassing ourselves as a nation, we should ensure we have the necessary infrastructure and capability to implement these directives and have them established before making them mandatory.

“It is acceptable to introduce a policy, but it must be reasonable and implementable. These policies should be rolled out gradually and in phases. You cannot simply introduce a new method overnight when the means to ensure its success aren’t available. Therefore, it is essential for our policymakers to be well-informed and to consult broadly prior to developing any policy or legal framework, particularly lawmakers. Often, they propose things that are unrealistic.”

Rafsanjani stressed the importance of conducting a thorough needs assessment and ensuring that there is sufficient manpower to carry them out.

With multidimensional poverty impacting 63 percent of Nigeria’s population – approximately 133 million people – Rafsanjani pointed out that the policy, if enforced, would worsen the current educational challenges and further marginalize vulnerable groups, pushing more children out of school, thereby deteriorating the country’s already critical human development metrics.

He specifically noted that the policy would disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, such as those in rural areas and impoverished children, as distant exam centers would further complicate their already difficult situations.

“This policy will significantly affect the lives of countless Nigerians who are struggling. Many of these children cannot even manage to reach exam centers due to financial constraints on their parents. Now, you plan to make them travel even further from their locations. Who is responsible for that? You cannot create challenging scenarios simply because you are not faced with the same issues. Furthermore, your children might not even be attending school in Nigeria. Or if they are, they are likely not attending public schools,” he remarked.

Nonetheless, a schoolteacher, Vincent Otolo, refuted Rafsanjani’s stance, arguing that both exams should evolve from paper-based formats to Computer-Based Testing (CBT), given the technological advancements.

Otolo, who teaches in one of the Federal Government Colleges in North Central Nigeria, highlighted the country’s capability to adapt, noting that the Federal Ministry of Education recently trained over 6,000 teachers in utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The Computer Science tutor also minimized worries regarding technical problems, highlighting that such issues are widespread globally, even in developed nations like the United States and the United Kingdom.

Nonetheless, he stressed the importance of establishing the required infrastructure, personnel, and expertise before implementing the change.

He mentioned that WAEC and NECO are significantly overdue for the transition to computer-based testing.

“In reality, WAEC has been around for over 40 years, and in this era, it is essential to adopt CBT. We simply need to ensure the appropriate infrastructure, personnel, and expertise are in place. Once these elements are established, along with consistent practice, preparation, and planning, I believe the Nigerian educational system can successfully make the transition.

“I also perceive that the JAMB situation is not unique. Similar occurrences happen globally. It took place in the UK, the U.S., and various other countries. It’s a mechanical system, and when not adequately prepared, planned, or programmed, it can inevitably malfunction.”

In his view, public affairs analyst Ifeanyi Nwoko proposed that JAMB should serve as a testing ground for refining the computer-based examination system prior to its rollout for WAEC and NECO.

Nwoko emphasized that once the system is fine-tuned and perfected with the participation of government and relevant agencies, it can then be broadened to other examination bodies.

Reflecting on the issues that arose during the UTME, Nwoko suggested that the system should be fully refined before expanding both WAEC and NECO to complete CBT assessments.

“When we are confident that we have reached a level of perfection, we can start to include additional examination bodies,” he reasoned.

In response, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) embraced the initiative, pointing out that some higher education institutions in Nigeria have already moved to computer-based testing (CBT) exams.

NANS National Public Relations Officer, Samson Adeyemi, urged the government to take proactive measures and allocate enough time to resolve potential technical and human errors, especially given the country’s limited internet coverage, high poverty rate, and large student demographic.

“While the concept of comprehensive CBT testing is promising, the implementation process needs to be approached with caution,” he remarked.

Adeyemi further noted that the timeline should be evaluated, and the process should not be expedited.

“If the policy will impact millions of students, we need a thorough time management strategy so that when challenges arise, we have adequate time to address them,” Adeyemi concluded.