**A recent spike in low pass rates, technical glitches, and a suicide of a student have ignited concerns about Nigeria's university entrance examinations, compelling the governing body to address its failures.**
**Nigeria’s University Entrance Exam Crisis: Technical Failures and Heartbreak**
**Nigeria’s University Entrance Exam Crisis: Technical Failures and Heartbreak**
**The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board faces backlash after a disastrous exam rollout led to tragic consequences for students.**
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of Nigeria is under intense scrutiny after declaring a "technical glitch" during this year's university entrance examination, which has resulted in nearly 80% of students receiving unsatisfactory scores. With widespread complaints of system failures—including power outages, blank questions on screens, and login issues—the performance of participants has sparked outrage across the nation.
Among the most tragic fallout from the exam scandal is the death of 19-year-old Faith Opesusi Timileyin, who aspired to study microbiology. After sitting for the exam for the second time and scoring just 146 out of 400—lower than her previous attempt—Timileyin succumbed to despair and took her life. Her father, Oluwafemi Opesusi, expressed devastation, stating, “The pain made her take her own life.” Reports indicate that a score of 200 or above is generally required for university admission, and only 400,000 candidates out of 1.9 million achieved this benchmark, marking one of the worst outcomes in recent history.
Students have taken to sharing their experiences of the exam's fraught conditions. One student recounted how 10 out of 165 questions did not appear, with only multiple-choice answers visible. Being instructed to ignore missing questions disrupted her concentration, which had repercussions for her results. Another candidate reported issues with accessing the exam system, including encountering a different student's profile on the screen—highlighting the confusion and stress during the test.
In light of these events, JAMB has issued an apology for the “painful damage” experienced by the students and announced plans for nearly 380,000 affected candidates to retake their exams, beginning Saturday. During a press conference, JAMB registrar Ishaq Oloyede visibly struggled with emotions as he addressed the public, acknowledging the immediate audit of the exam process spurred by the uproar.
Amid the turmoil, a divide has formed among Nigerians. While some call for accountability from JAMB, including demands for Oloyede's resignation, the registrar defended the low scores as a reflection of students’ true academic performance, asserting this was in part due to a crackdown on rampant cheating. Opposition figures and activists lament the systemic failures of education, describing the situation as “educational sabotage” and urging a serious reevaluation of JAMB's operations.
As students and families navigate the aftermath of the fiasco, the debate surrounding educational integrity in Nigeria intensifies, calling into question the future of an examination system that has clearly faltered.
