Stakeholders react as over 75% of Candidates score below 200 in 2025 UTME

Widespread reactions have continued to trail the disappointing outcome of this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), where about 75 percent of candidates scored below 200 out of 400 marks.

The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), among others, have attributed the poor performance to several factors ranging from inadequate preparation, poor learning infrastructure, to the timing of the exams.

Speaking to Vanguard, the National President of NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, noted that every stakeholder in the education sector shares part of the blame for the unimpressive results. “We are all responsible — parents, government, teachers, and the students themselves. Some parents have left the responsibility of their children’s education to others, ignoring their crucial role at home,” he said.

Danjuma also condemned the loss of reading culture among students, pointing out that many are now distracted by the quest for quick wealth and perceive education as a waste of time. He criticized the government for poorly implementing free basic education and failing to equip schools with necessary facilities. “How many students can even operate a computer? Most public schools don’t have computer labs, yet we expect them to sit for CBT exams,” he stated.

On their part, ASUU, through its National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, described the situation as a result of years of neglect in the education sector. He lamented that state governments are no longer investing in new secondary schools while private institutions dominate the space. “Now, universities will be forced to lower their cut-off marks because candidates scoring as low as 130 or 140 out of 400 will have to be admitted,” he added. Osodeke urged government to properly fund education and improve the welfare of teachers.

The National Public Relations Officer of NANS, Comrade Adeyemi Samson Ajasa, held JAMB responsible for poor planning, particularly condemning the decision to schedule exams as early as 6:30 am. “Why the rush? Admissions don’t start until August or September. The exam can be spread across four weeks with a 10 am start time to reduce stress for candidates,” he suggested. He also referenced tragic incidents in Oyo State where candidates reportedly lost their lives and a case involving a missing girl.

Joseph Ayodele, Executive Director of Africa Brands Review, described the trend as a progressive decline in UTME performance, listing statistics from past years to show the steady drop in success rates. He argued that Nigeria’s unpreparedness for digital education has widened the gap between tech-savvy students and an outdated learning system. “The last significant wave of teacher recruitment happened over 15 years ago, and poor infrastructure continues to worsen the situation,” he noted.

Meanwhile, a UTME supervisor who preferred anonymity observed that many candidates struggled with basic computer operations, such as typing in capital letters, deleting mistakes, selecting answers, or using the on-screen calculator. The supervisor advised that computer literacy campaigns be organized, especially in rural areas.

Parents also expressed their frustrations. John Adeyemo narrated how his son travelled from Agbado, Lagos to Epe for the exam, paying for two nights of hotel accommodation. Charity Ihima appealed to JAMB to spread the exams over a longer period to ease the pressure on candidates and reduce early morning stress. She further highlighted challenges like power outages and system failures at CBT centres, which disrupted the exam for several candidates. “Once your computer goes off, the exam is over for you. There’s no way to continue,” she said.