The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board [JAMB] released the results of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination [UTME], for aspiring university students which recorded a 77% failure rate!
While over 1.9 million candidates participated in the computer-based test, only a minuscule 0.4%, translating to 8,401 individuals, achieved 300 or higher marks.
This suggests an incredibly challenging test and emphasizes the need for strategic preparation for hopeful students aiming to secure admission into their desired tertiary institutions.
To assess the poor academic performance of a particular group of students, especially when the JAMB failure is chronic, it is imperative to review the constant variables, or the system at large, which such students are a product of – the education system.
In a pool of responses gathered by Techeconomy from secondary school teachers across Nigeria, evident in their replies was the urgent need to make the education sector of the country more effective.
One of the respondents, Richardson Igbasun in Enugu State noted that inefficiency in syllabus and teaching staff across schools has contributed significantly to the underwhelming performances in UTME.
Richardson also highlighted issues such as outdated curriculum and or syllabuses; use of non-professional teachers to set JAMB questions; irregular proper training for JAMB staff; proliferation of schools with quack teachers; prevalence of examination malpractices and unaddressed technical hitches during the exams as specific factors responsible for the poor performances.
Another respondent, Eunice Ukwajunor in Lagos State claimed that some accredited centers’ inefficiency has greatly affected students’ performances in UTME.
According to him, “Some centers reduced the examination time. They did this because more of their computers were faulty. Most students did not complete their exam before they were logged out:
The respondents were almost divided on if the switch to the use of computers has contributed to the recent underperformance.
A better percentage (55.6%) believe that the switch has contributed to the reduced performance level while 44.4% are of the opinion that the switch to computer based exams for UTME should not have affected students.
Olanari Ogregade in Bayelsa State opines that the thoughts of getting rich rather than being educated, has contributed to the low study habits of students.
What must be done to reverse such JAMB failure rate?
The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination [UTME] has a national spread and is directed to students straight out of the secondary school system; thus, those who fail have recently been exposed to many years of formal education.
It is a fair presumption that the incumbents should have better chances of faring better in the exams. However, this has not been the case in recent years.
With students no longer taking responsibility for their learning, Ann Nwankwo, one of the respondents opines that students must begin to take charge of their learning.
“Schools should instil in students the need to take charge of their learning as well as afford time to cover the JAMB curriculum.
“The government needs to check her policies on education. Bring back the beauty of our educational system where teachers are treated as nation builders.
According to Darlington Arinze Edeh, schools must begin to set high standards for their students and motivate them to develop a good study habit. He also encouraged the use of past questions, both electronic and paper.
On the part of the government, Darlington believes that the government must regulate private schools and make sure they operate on high standards while also ensuring that public schools are ICT enabled.
Richardson, speaking on possible solutions, said:
“It is my candid opinion that JAMB, as an examination body, has outlived its purpose. It should be scrapped to allow higher institutions the opportunity to set admission examinations based on their individual expectations.”
Dr. Ojobeagu Austin Okechukwu believes that the problem is more personal than systemic. He suggests that students must begin to prioritize their education over social media.
“I’m pointing at the issue of using smartphones by the students to do social media. The use of smartphones is not a bad thing but students have placed pleasure before hard work.
“There should be time for everything. Instead of spending more time on the phone, students should spend more time on their books. Parents are to help their children also by persuading them to study their books.
The persistent UTME underwhelming performance signifies a stark reality: the forthcoming employment landscape for unskilled graduates in Nigeria will be fiercely competitive, leading those with subpar education to face dwindling job prospects over the next decade.
Without intervention to alter the prevailing trajectory, this bleak outlook will become the norm for all who fall short in the JAMB exams—a future fraught with frustration, economic hardship, and constrained possibilities.
