The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), overseen by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), encountered significant technical glitches, necessitating a retake for a substantial number of candidates and triggering an emotional apology from JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede. Addressing the press in Abuja, a visibly distraught Oloyede accepted full responsibility for the “easily avoidable error” attributable to a few staff members. His remorse underscored the gravity of the situation, which marred what was initially perceived as a successful UTME exercise.
The technical failures centered around the updating of delivery servers by the service provider engaged for the Lagos and South-East zones. This oversight affected 65 centers in Lagos, involving 206,610 candidates, and 92 centers in the Owerri zone, encompassing 173,387 candidates across the five South-Eastern states. The failure to update these servers prior to the release of results had a cascading effect, necessitating a complete retake for all affected candidates in the specified zones. Oloyede’s tearful apology reflects the profound impact of this technical mishap on the affected students, their families, and the overall integrity of the UTME process.
The incident highlights the reliance of large-scale examinations on complex technological infrastructure and the potential for even seemingly minor technical errors to have far-reaching consequences. While the service provider’s failure to update the servers was the immediate cause of the problem, the situation also raises questions about JAMB’s internal oversight mechanisms and its ability to detect and rectify such issues before they impact the results. The significant number of affected candidates underscores the scale of the disruption and the logistical challenge of organizing a retake across numerous centers.
The decision to hold a retake for all affected candidates demonstrates JAMB’s commitment to ensuring a fair and credible examination process. While the retake represents an additional burden for the students involved, it is a necessary step to maintain the integrity of the UTME and to ensure that no candidate is unfairly disadvantaged by technical errors. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of rigorous quality control measures in high-stakes examinations and the need for robust contingency plans to address unforeseen technical challenges.
The emotional response of Professor Oloyede, the JAMB Registrar, reflects the personal responsibility he feels for the disruption caused to the candidates. His public apology acknowledges the stress and uncertainty experienced by the affected students and their families and reinforces the importance of accountability and transparency in addressing such situations. While the technical error undoubtedly casts a shadow over the 2025 UTME, JAMB’s commitment to rectifying the situation through a retake demonstrates a commitment to upholding the fairness and integrity of the examination process.
This incident underscores the ongoing challenges associated with the integration of technology in large-scale assessments. While technology offers significant advantages in terms of efficiency and accessibility, it also introduces new vulnerabilities and necessitates robust quality control mechanisms to prevent and mitigate technical failures. The experience of the 2025 UTME serves as a valuable lesson for JAMB and other examination bodies, highlighting the critical importance of thorough testing and validation processes to ensure the reliability and integrity of examination results. It also emphasizes the need for effective communication and contingency planning to minimize the impact of unforeseen technical issues on candidates.
