Parents and teachers of students who signed up for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination are upset about the 77% failure rate reported by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.
On Monday, JAMB stated 77% that out of the 1,842,464 candidates whose 2024 UTME results were published, scored below 200 out of 400.
Nevertheless, some parents and teachers argued that the results were unjustified because some registered candidates were unable to take the exam due to technical issues and a lack of computer systems.
They questioned how JAMB reached the conclusion that 77% failed while some were still yet to take the examination.
Speaking to our correspondent on Friday, Bosede Agbede, a staff member of Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Imirin, Ondo State, revealed that numerous students who registered for the UTME at the Greater Tomorrow examination centre, Arigidi, Akoko area of the state, were denied the chance to sit for the exam.
Agbede mentioned that candidates above seat number 200 couldn't take the exam due to a lack of computers and server issues.
She explained, “I registered 90 students of my school for the 2024 JAMB exam and they were assigned to different centers in Ondo State. On April 19, at one of the centers, Greater Tomorrow, Arigidi Akoko, some students were unable to take the exam due to a network glitch (log-in failure).
“On Saturday, another set of students faced the same problem. They were told there weren't more than 200 working computers. So, students with seat numbers over 200 had to wait. We waited until the exam was over but nothing was done about their situation.”
Agbede described her efforts to address this issue with exam supervisors but was only given promises that the students would be rescheduled.
“Then I spoke to the exam supervisor who informed me that many students were affected and would be called back to take the exam later. The parents of one student who missed the exam told me they received a message to reschedule for Monday. We went there but nothing happened. I was even denied entry and other parents were there complaining about the same problem.
“The students are all worried and upset, fearing they may have to wait a whole year to take another exam. Many students were unable to take the 2024 JAMB exams, not because of their own errors, but because of JAMB’s mistakes,” she added.
She expressed her dismay that despite JAMB releasing the results, the affected candidates had not been given a chance to take their exams.
“Considering some students were unable to take the exam, JAMB released the results and even announced that 77% of the registered candidates failed.
“What about the candidates who couldn't take the exam despite registering their biometrics? This is severely affecting the students and they are distressed and unhappy,” she added.
A father, Adeyemi Fayose, expressed his frustration because his daughter couldn't take the exam due to problems with the server.
Fayose mentioned that despite assurances from supervisors that she would be called back for a rescheduled exam, nothing has been done yet.
He also stated that she has been in a bad state since the release of the 2024 JAMB result and despite promises of a resit, nothing has been done yet.
“I took my daughter to the exam center but she couldn't take it because of a login issue. The supervisors promised a resit for those who couldn't write the exams, but instead, the JAMB released results and announced mass failure.
“My daughter has been crying since then. This is unfair to us. JAMB should find a solution to our problems. How can we pay and not have access to the exam?” he asked.
A parent, known as Mr. Okudalaye, shared similar sentiments about the JAMB announcement, stating that 77% of registered candidates failed without consideration for those who couldn’t access the portal or write their exams.
Okudalaye mentioned that her attempts to seek clarification from JAMB were ignored.
She mentioned that her daughter had been crying all day and worried that her hope of getting admission into a higher institution was shattered.
She expressed, “We sent a message to their Gmail, raised a complaint ticket, and received a notification that our message had been received. We even called the number on the JAMB website. Now JAMB has released the results and percentage of those who failed, while our children were unable to write the examination.
“JAMB needs to respond to us. They have to resolve this.”
On Monday, JAMB released the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results.
The Board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed 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.”
Oloyede added that 77% of the 1,842,464 candidates whose results were released on Monday scored less than 200.
Following the announcement, Nigerians expressed their discontent with the low performance..
Some attributed the low performance to social media, while others blamed TikTok and internet fraud, commonly known as Yahoo Yahoo.
A lawyer known as Foundational Nupe Lawyer1 on X.com lamented the deplorable 77% failure recorded in the UTME results.
He stated “There are many reasons for this JAMB mass failure, but what stands out for me is social media. Children who should be focused on studying are always on social media as content creators on different platforms, neglecting their education.
Omotola Oluwadare blamed TikTok and internet fraud, commonly known as Yahoo Yahoo. He stated, “The TikTok and yahoo generation, coddled by their overly knowledgeable parents.”
A Facebook user, Beauty Oduali-Olusakin, however, attributed the poor performance to exam anxiety.
Oduali-Olusakin noted, “Many factors are responsible for this discouraging outcome. Some children didn't prepare well for various reasons. Some had issues with the computer. Some arrived late at the exam venue and couldn't relax during the exam. Some experienced exam anxiety as it was their first external exam. Some couldn't finish within the allotted time, so they couldn't attempt all the questions.”
During the recent UTME, many candidates were left stuck and upset on Friday morning at some locations due to heavy rain and system problems that disrupted their exam.
Following the complaint, JAMB appealed to candidates who experienced glitches during the exam to stay calm as they will be given a new schedule.
