JAMB vs WAEC: What It Means for Nigeria’s Exam Standards

The recent mistake made by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and ongoing concerns surrounding the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) are not random events but rather indicative of a larger national struggle with embracing technology, maintaining institutional integrity, and a critical lack of public confidence. This highlights the urgent need for a nationwide dialogue about the country’s preparedness for a digital future. As Nigeria races towards digitisation, IYABO LAWAL investigates whether it is constructing a trustworthy foundation or merely replicating its existing dysfunctions.

Nigeria’s education sector, historically seen as vital for national progress, has somewhat dimmed due to controversies that raise serious questions regarding the credibility and effectiveness of its two key examination bodies—the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

These institutions play a crucial role in enabling higher education access and certifying academic accomplishments, yet recent issues, particularly during the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the latest West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), have revealed systemic flaws that necessitate reflection, reform, and decisive action.

Indeed, the fiasco surrounding the 2025 UTME sparked widespread public examination of JAMB. Approximately 1.95 million candidates took part in this computer-based test, intended to transform university admissions in Nigeria.

However, the results of this endeavor incited a national outcry. Nearly 1.35 million candidates scored below the passing mark of 200 out of a possible 400, a statistic that clashes with expectations and norms, given the number of candidates and their preparation efforts.

What puzzled observers even more were the inconsistencies, where candidates performed exceptionally well in science subjects—like physics or agriculture—but received an F9 (fail) in English Language, a subject essential for comprehension and communication across all disciplines.

The question surrounding candidates scoring high in other subjects yet failing the English Language is a valid source of confusion for many. From both an academic and technical perspective, this is not merely an anomaly.

Achievement in subjects like physics or agricultural science is evaluated based on a student’s capacity to apply scientific theories and principles, resolve issues, and analyse data.

While the exam questions are presented in English, success hinges on subject-related knowledge, not just proficiency in the English language. A candidate might possess a comprehensive understanding of scientific material but could struggle with the grammatical and compositional demands of the English Language paper.

Prof Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, admitted that significant technical issues occurred during the 2025 UTME.

It was disclosed that approximately 380,000 candidates were impacted by a severe server malfunction, mainly affecting locations in Lagos and the South-East. The root cause was traced back to a failure by a third-party service provider to update essential delivery servers before the examination.

This oversight led to the responses of candidates from the first five days of testing not being uploaded correctly, consequently distorting the official results. As a result, JAMB had to schedule a retake for those affected by this issue, leading to anxiety and uncertainty among students and their parents.

Although this response was a commendable effort at damage control, it underscored the precarious condition of digitisation initiatives within Nigeria’s examination framework.

The rescheduled tests, conducted under intense pressure, showed only slight improvements in results. More than 70 percent of candidates still did not reach the required benchmark, highlighting structural difficulties both in education and examination administration.

The technical failure revealed not just deficiencies in technological implementation but also an absence of adequate preparedness for fully digitised national examinations.

The challenges faced by JAMB, however, represent only a part of a larger story of systemic problems afflicting Nigeria’s examination systems.

This year’s WASSCE results have made public perceptions even more complicated. When WAEC published the results in early August, the initial pass rate was shockingly low at around 38.32 per cent. However, just four days later, after an internal review that noted technical issues, WAEC adjusted the pass rate to about 62.96 per cent.

The council stated that a “paper serialisation” initiative, designed to increase examination security, unintentionally led to issues in the marking process, especially in critical subjects such as mathematics, English language, biology, and economics.

In Nigeria, 1.517 million candidates took the 2025 WASSCE, yet only 77.06 per cent received complete results, as nearly 23 per cent of results were temporarily withheld for verification.

Around 192,000 candidates, or nearly 10 per cent of those who sat the exam, were flagged for potential malpractice and thus did not get their results, highlighting ongoing difficulties regarding examination integrity.

These troubling findings from WAEC resulted in the temporary closure of its results portal and raised concerns about the effectiveness of examination security measures and the reliability of grading.

Parents, students, and educational stakeholders voiced worries about the fairness and accuracy of the grading system, particularly for essential subjects like English language, which often serves as a barrier for higher education and job opportunities if failed.

The specifics of the initially low and subsequently boosted pass rates fueled skepticism regarding WAEC’s management and the reliability of its data handling.

In addition to the immediate technical issues and grading disputes, these dual crises within Nigeria’s examination bodies expose deep-seated problems in the country’s educational governance and digital readiness.

The fallout from JAMB’s 2025 UTME further highlighted weak contractual and oversight standards, insufficient technological infrastructure, and a disjointed assessment system that fails to consolidate educational data in a coherent and verifiable way.

The separate systems operated by JAMB, WAEC, and others do not share information, leading to redundancies, errors, and chances for malpractice.

These systemic issues undermine public trust in what should be the nation’s most reliable educational institutions.

Furthermore, the current model’s dependence on high-stakes single examinations exerts immense pressure on both candidates and administrative bodies, amplifying the repercussions of any technological or procedural mishap. This scenario causes a significant loss of credibility for examination results and, by extension, educational certification in Nigeria.

Looking beyond Nigeria, neighboring nations provide examples 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 organization similar to JAMB. Instead, the education and admission framework is founded on a point-based high school certification model, wherein students accumulate points throughout their secondary education through ongoing assessments and final national school-leaving examinations.

In other terms, university admissions are determined based on cumulative points from high school certifications rather than a distinct centralized entrance examination.

This point-based approach lessens the pressure on students to perform exceptionally in one high-stakes examination and avoids the kind of comprehensive failure seen during Nigeria’s 2025 UTME.

Additionally, it fosters a more comprehensive perspective on student capability, incorporating various academic accomplishments over time rather than overly emphasizing a singular examination performance that could be hindered by technical malfunctions or disruptions on exam day. Nevertheless, the South African model has its own set of challenges, including variations in educational quality across schools and the risk of grade inflation. Here is how the South African system operates: for the final high school exam, students take a national matriculation examination in their last year of high school.

Each subject’s score translates into a point value. For instance, a score of 90 percent in a subject might equal eight points, whereas a 70 percent score could be assigned six points.

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

For a competitive program like medicine, a university may demand a very high APS, while a less sought-after program might have a lower threshold. Students submit applications directly to their chosen universities, which determine admission based on their APS.

Cost and efficiency are also significant considerations. Conducting a nationwide computer-based examination for almost two million candidates requires vast technological infrastructure, logistical management, and financial investment.

Government agencies, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), have faced challenges with cyberattacks on their election systems.

If an electoral management body is continually subjected to digital threats, it is not surprising that examination bodies, generally operating with fewer resources and oversight, experience technical failures and security vulnerabilities.

In a society that is rapidly embracing digital technology, it is essential to implement strong cybersecurity measures, conduct regular system audits, and have contingency plans in place to maintain public confidence and operational effectiveness.

One potential solution for Nigeria involves conceptualizing and creating a unified examination and education data platform. This platform would integrate systems for registration, exam administration, grading, and verification across JAMB, WAEC, NECO, and other pertinent institutions.

It would ensure a smooth flow of candidate data, diminish redundancy, enable cross-verification of results, and promote transparency. Furthermore, it would offer real-time audit trails and provide candidates access to verified information, helping to prevent disputes and confusion.

However, stakeholders have emphasized that merely digitizing processes will not resolve Nigeria’s educational issues. They advocate for a comprehensive reform of curricula, teaching approaches, school funding, and examination design.

Educationist Dr. Paul Adelola pointed out that the high failure rates that have continued over the decades reflect problems beyond mere administration.

“Subpar educational foundations yield unprepared candidates, and no technology can rectify that,” he remarked.

Rebuilding public trust necessitates a commitment to ongoing transparency, accountability, and communication. The distress caused by the 2025 UTME and WASSCE results led to widespread concern among students and parents, many of whom questioned the official explanations.

Education consultant Jumoke Olaniran observed that the withholding of results, repeated retests, and revisions of results indicate systemic instability rather than effective solutions.

Olaniran asserted that examination bodies must not only resolve technical issues but also dedicate themselves to educational sector reforms that enhance teaching quality, learner preparedness, and institutional governance.

“Moreover, it is worth reconsidering the justification for making the UTME a compulsory requirement for all tertiary applicants. Could Nigeria draw lessons from South Africa’s approach, where continuous assessments and school-leaving results play more significant roles in university admissions? Decreasing dependency on a high-stakes, single-entry exam could mitigate risks, improve educational outcomes, lower expenses, and alleviate both candidates and administrators from the pressure of an annual testing event,” Olaniran stated.

In a similar vein, university educator Dr. Chris Udegbe indicated that the recent turmoil involving Nigeria’s leading examination bodies and the foundational failures in digitization, governance, and education quality signify a pivotal moment for the education system.

Udegbe stressed the necessity for a multifaceted strategy that enhances technological infrastructure, ensures cybersecurity, integrates examination data systems, improves teaching and learning standards, and redefines assessment methods.

By pursuing such an approach, he suggested, Nigeria can restore trust in its examination bodies, ensure fairness in admissions, and empower students with credible certification.