JAMB’s UTME Fiasco and the Crushing Burden on Nigerian Students

The air in Nigeria in May 2025 was thick with the usual cocktail of anticipation and anxiety accompanying the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). 

Hundreds of young hopefuls, their academic futures hanging in the balance, poured their hearts and minds into preparation, dreaming of university admissions and brighter horizons. Then, the dream flickered and went dark for nearly 380,000 candidates. A targeted technical glitch ripped through the examination process, leaving a trail of shattered hopes and immense emotional distress.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the custodian of these crucial examinations, found itself amid a storm of criticism. Reports from Lagos and the South East, the epicentres of the technical problem, painted a grim picture: disappearing questions, incomplete test sessions, arbitrary system crashes, and the horrifying sight of well-prepared candidates watching their efforts vanish into thin air. The cause was ruled to be an oversight in server updates, but an unfortunate confluence of human error served as little comfort to the students.

Imagine enthusiastic students hours into their exam meticulously navigating complex questions, only for the screen to freeze, the questions to vanish, or the system to abruptly log them out. The initial disbelief morphs into panic and then despair. Months of rigorous study and countless sacrifices suddenly feel futile. 

This wasn’t merely a technical glitch but a deep violation of their trust, a cruel twist of fate that mocked their dedication. The emotional and mental stress on these young students cannot be overstated. Their aspirations, once so vivid, were now shrouded in uncertainty. 

Parents, who had invested financially and emotionally in their children’s futures, shared their anguish. The narrative emerging from affected families was one of heartbreak and outrage. “My son came home in tears,” recounted a distraught mother in Lagos, “He had studied so hard, and now he feels like it was all for nothing. The stress is unbearable.” Another parent from Enugu lamented, “We spent so much on tutorials and transportation. To hear that the exam was disrupted due to a system error is just unacceptable. My daughter is now so anxious; she can barely sleep.”

The psychological impact extended far beyond the immediate shock. Anxiety levels among the affected candidates skyrocketed. The pressure of a high-stakes examination is already immense; facing a retake, with the lingering fear of another technical failure, amplified that stress significantly. Self-doubt crept in, confidence waned, and the impending doom replaced the joy of learning. Students reported symptoms of depression, while others exhibited increased irritability and difficulty concentrating, clear indicators of the significant mental health burden imposed by this premeditated crisis. 

The feeling of helplessness was pervasive; their future, once seemingly within their grasp, now felt subject to the whims of an unstable technological infrastructure.

In the face of this widespread discontent, JAMB’s Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, responded with a mixture of accountability and raw emotion. In a public briefing, he acknowledged the errors, expressing profound regret while breaking down in tears, a usual display of emotions by public officials. The registrar’s display did little to alleviate the anguish of the affected candidates immediately, but it did signal the board’s recognition of the severity of the situation.

The examination body made a hasty decision: a resit examination for all affected candidates was scheduled for May 16, 2025. JAMB also coordinated with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to avoid clashes with ongoing Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) papers, a step aimed at minimising further disruption. Candidates were advised to reprint their examination slips, bracing themselves for another round of what was, for many, an already harrowing experience.

However, the rapid rescheduling, while seemingly an attempt at damage control, was met with mixed reactions and further exacerbated some concerns. While the intention was to provide a fair opportunity, many also saw it as a quick fix that failed to adequately address the deep trauma inflicted on the affected candidates. For families already stretched thin financially, the prospect of additional transportation, possible accommodation costs, and the continued emotional drain of repeated examination cycles became an added burden.

Civil society organisations and various stakeholders quickly weighed in. Calls for a thorough, independent audit of JAMB’s computer-based examination system grew louder. The argument was simple: how could the board rush to reschedule exams without a full public disclosure and verifiable rectification of the underlying technical issues? The integrity of the entire UTME process was questioned, and some even pushed for the outright cancellation of all results, advocating for a fresh start under more robust and transparent conditions. 

Critics labelled the swift rescheduling as “unreasonable and poorly thought out,” arguing that it prioritised administrative expediency over the genuine well-being of the students.

This unfortunate episode is a stark reminder of the critical importance of robust technical infrastructure and comprehensive contingency planning, especially when dealing with high-stakes national examinations. The digital transformation of education promises efficiency but also introduces vulnerabilities. The JAMB glitch exposed these vulnerabilities and the deeply seated discrimination in the country in a painful and public manner, highlighting the need for rigorous testing, seamless system updates, and a proactive approach to risk management.

Beyond the technical aspect, the incident underscores a fundamental societal problem and the obligation to prioritise students’ mental and emotional well-being. Examinations, by their very nature, are stressful. When external factors beyond a student’s control undermine their efforts and create an environment of uncertainty and despair, it becomes a collective failure. 

The JAMB fiasco is not just a story of a technical glitch; it is a poignant narrative of shattered dreams, immense pressure, and the urgent need for empathy and foresight in the administration of critical national processes that shape the lives of a nation’s youth. As Nigeria strives for educational advancement, lessons from this painful experience must be absorbed and acted upon to ensure that the pursuit of knowledge is never again marred by the very systems designed to facilitate it.