Less than 24 hours after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board released the 2024 UTME results which recorded a a 77% failure rate, Nigerians have started identifying factors responsible for the poor performance. JAMB released the 2024 UTME results on Monday.
The Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, announced the release of the UTME results at a press conference held at the board’s headquarters, Bwari, in Abuja.
According to the examination body, over 1.94 million candidates registered and sat the examination in 118 towns and over 700 centres across the country.
The board noted that 77 per cent of the 1,842,464 candidates whose results were released on Monday, scored less than 200.
Giving a breakdown of the results of the 1,842,464 candidates released, Oloyede noted that, “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”
The deplorable 77% failure rate recorded in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) has sparked concerns among education stakeholders, including lawyers like Foundational Nupe Lawyer1. This alarming trend not only jeopardizes the academic aspirations of many students but also raises questions about the quality of education and the effectiveness of the examination system.
Sharing his thoughts on the high failure rate, the legal practitioner expressed disappointment while blaming social media.
He wrote “There are so many things to blame for this JAMB mass failure, but what tops the list for me is social media. Children who should be busy with studying are always on social media as content creators on different platforms, while neglecting their education or giving little time for it.
“I had to make conscious decisions to ban our last born, 17, from using TikTok by not using an internet-enabled phone while preparing for her WAEC and JAMB exams. She doesn’t need any internet access to study for these exams. All the materials are in hard copy and she was left with no other option than to study hard with full focus.
“In fact, her accessibility to an internet-enabled device is hinged on acing the exams very well. Otherwise, no man born of a woman can make her use it; and if she does, it means she has found another sponsor for her education moving forward.”
He said that though social media has its advantages, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
He added, “No doubt, social media has its good sides, but the negatives outweigh the positives, especially for children and teenagers. Even as adults, you have to make conscious efforts not to be swept away by the negativity and distractions of social media.
“Gone are the days when people used to be denied admission into tertiary institutions not because they didn’t pass well, but because the admissions were so competitive that even with good scores, you are not guaranteed admission. Today, the reverse is the case.”
He added that left to him, candidates with less than a 50% score should be made to resit the examination.
“People now gain admission with less than 200, or 180 and brag about it. God forbid! For me, anyone with less than 50% scores should be made to repeat or retake the exams, regardless of whether it’s a public or private practice institution they are seeking to be admitted into.
“Schools should no longer give room for rejects who performed below the minimum grade level to gain admission because such practice promotes laziness and mediocrity. Education is a serious business and should only be for people who have taken it seriously from the get-go,” he concluded.
Education is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Students come from diverse backgrounds, face unique challenges, and develop at different paces. Excluding those who may have struggled academically perpetuates a system that values performance over potential. It overlooks the opportunity for growth, improvement, and resilience that can result from overcoming academic setbacks.
“Some dwelled on some questions longer than they should have, So, that ate into the time for other questions, so they were just picking answers randomly to answer all the questions instead of reading each question first before answering. Some came very sick and did the little their strength couldn’t muster.
“Some didn’t open their books at all for those exams but just came because of their parents. Some wrote to fail because they didn’t want to go to higher institutions. Some due to unnecessary delay just very tired and probably forgot most of what you read. Some didn’t even have ideas about the questions asked because they got to SSS classes by crooked means.”
Responding, another Netizen, Stella Uduak, wrote, “Beauty Oduali-Olusakin, your reasons are valid. JAMB should pay attention to these computer issues because it’s a major reason for students’ failure.
“My friend’s daughter who is very intelligent had computer issues during the exam but with her knowledge of Tech and computer studies, she was able to sort herself out and continued after 35 minutes.”
Joy Ifeoma thought that most candidates are used to malpractice, hence their failure. She wrote, “Most of them are used to examination malpractice that is the bedrock of SSCE. So, there was little or no preparation. A student who had excellent A’s and B’s in SSCE, only to score 80 in JAMB. Most private schools help their students, as such, it is difficult to convince the students to study. Until we start CBT for SSCE to minimise exam malpractice, the woeful results in all external exams will continue.”
Lina Omagbitse wrote, “Shame of a country. A lot of parents invest so much money in sending their children to high-paying schools but along the line, they ruin the children’s lives by pushing them to jump into class at a very early age and fly into a future they are least prepared for. Until this aberration is stopped, the hope of education in this terrain might be blink. We all have a share in this issue. What a sad reality.
Ajayi Abolade Solomon blamed students, JAMB, parents, the government and private schools for the failure.
He wrote This is an abysmal performance. The students, JAMB, parents, government and private schools are to be blamed for this woeful outcome.”
Rêx Ôsçãr blamed JAMB for the failure. He wrote, “And lemme guess, the 24% are students from that Deeper Life School in the east. Something is wrong. Can we also talk about the plethora of students who were unable to write? Those who were rescheduled and JAMB didn’t send notice to them? As an exam body, JAMB is failing.”
Reacting, another Netizen, Josephine Nwankwo Ezike, noted that candidates need to show more signs of seriousness in their studies. He also advised JAMB to quit fixing examinations for as early as 7 am.
He wrote, “Poor performance! These youngsters need to be more serious with their studies. JAMB also needs to stop 7 a.m. exams.”
Adedayo Adeniken believed that a couple of reasons may have been responsible for the 77% failure recorded. He wrote, So many factors could be attributed, poor computer skills is one apart from other issues of low reading habits and bad preparations.”
Henry Oke urged the examination body to probe the root cause of the mass failure because the percentage was too high. He wrote, “Not a good one. The reason for the mass failure should be investigated although IT-related issues may play a negative role in the mass failure.”
