By Blessing Otobong-gabriel
The abysmal failure in the Joint Admission Matriculation Examination Board, JAMB results, for the 2025 has raised unpleasant reactions from concerned citizens.
In an Open Letter by David Adeyinka Adenekan, Editor Of Shekinah International Magazine and Secretary Of Afenifere Diaspora USA to JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Olanrewaju Oloyede reads: Your Examination Performance Evaluation Are Poor In Both Joint Admission Matriculation Examination Of 2024 AND 2025.
According to him, less than 25% of the students that sat for the examinations crossed the border line of 200 over 400, the total aggregate is an abysmal failure for both the students and the examiner (JAMB).
In other words, less than 400, 000 thousands students out of more than 1.9 million students that registered for the examination got above 200 scorecard is a colossal failure and, who do we blame for this, if not the students and the examiner; JAMB.
“The question is; is the examiner, JAMB truly making available the right materials for the students to adequately prepare for the examinations?
He questioned JAMB that what did the examiner, JAMB do in ensuring the integrity of the examination is intact, so as to make sure that the examination is transparent in order to cast out any kind of suspicion that the examination is being manipulated by the Board? This is not to cast aspersion but, people may be doubting the integrity of the examination because, in a digital age (information technology), why can’t the students get the final result of their examinations immediately they click on the word ‘submit’ after they have finished their exams?
According to him, one of the greatest challenges that many of the students are made to face is the inability for the Board to set a timeline and exams center that are suitable for many of the children.
“How do you explain setting exams for 6:30 am when you have to travel from your home in Festac town to far away Badagry to take your exams? It should be noted that from Festac Town to Badagry in Lagos state is 31.4 miles and it is 1hr 24 minutes traveling time. Is this proximity good enough to catch up with the traffic gridlock in Lagos State; how do we reconcile this with the rising surge of insecurity across the country?
“In addition, setting exams time for 6:30 am in Nigeria of today is very absurd. Is JAMB not already setting up the students for failure before writing the examinations? This is because, the stress and fear of getting to the exam center to meet up with the rules and regulations of taking the examination as set up by JAMB are psychologically stressful enough with effects that may affect the function of the brain. It may make your memory to go blank for the examination that is supposed to be conducted in a conducive environment, including logistics and transportation”.
“Is JAMB truly doing enough to consider the welfare of our children to meet the end goals, which is to develop human capacity towards nation building, or is the examination more important than our children that JAMB cannot make the proximity to the examination centers from the students home to be not more than 6 miles for all students and also to stop setting exam for 6:30 am in a country that the security level is at high risk”?
He therefore urged the JAMB Registrar to bring all stakeholders, including educators, Ministry of Education, School Proprietors, Parent Teachers Association, IT experts and all other relevant bodies together to brainstorm on how best to tackle the abysmal failures we have had in the past two years; 2024 and 2025.
