“JAMB mass failure proof of our anti-cheating success” – Education minister
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has attributed the current mass failure withinside the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to the growing fulfillment of presidency efforts in tackling exam malpractice.
Speaking all through an interview on Channels Television, Dr. Alausa stated the disappointing overall performance of applicants isn’t always a signal of declining intelligence, however a mirrored image of an exam device now higher covered from dishonest .
“It is a mirrored image of assessments being performed the right way,” he stated .
According to the minister, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has carried out a excessive stage of credibility thru its strict adoption of Computer-Based Testing (CBT), which has made dishonest almost impossible.
“JAMB conducts its examination the usage of computer- primarily based totally testing. They have placed a lot protection in area that fraud or dishonest has been absolutely eliminated. Now, we don’t have the equal in our different assessments , like WAEC and NECO,” Alausa stated .
Dr. Alausa discovered that the authorities is now operating to copy JAMB’s anti-malpractice version throughout all country wide assessments .
Beginning in November 2025, WAEC and NECO will start transitioning to CBT, and with the aid of using 2027, all most important country wide examinations which include EMBRAS and NBTEB may be completely computer- primarily based totally .
“From November of this year, WAEC and NECO will migrate their assessments to computer- primarily based totally testing. We ought to use era to combat this fraud. Governmental centres known as numerical centres aren’t acceptable,” he stated.
He blamed huge malpractice in secondary college assessments for allowing a lifestyle in which cheating practices are rewarded at the same time as devoted college students are discouraged.
“But what you’re seeing now, human beings cheat thru the secondary college examination device WAEC and NECO after which they visit do JAMB, in which they can’t cheat. And that’s the mirrored image of what we’re seeing today. It’s bad,” he lamented.
“So those which can be right , you’re going to lead them to bad. And that’s what we ought to prevent absolutely . Zero tolerance to examination practices in our u . s . a . .”
Dr. Alausa went similarly to emphasise how dishonest demoralizes hard- operating college students .
“And the greater essential component approximately dishonest is which you disincentivise the hardworking college students . If I have been a pupil now, I am looking forward to an examination for WAEC or NECO, and I comprehend that a number of my different colleagues have already requested the question. You assume I will read? No, I will be a part of them!” he stated .
He defined the contemporary nation of malpractice withinside the schooling device as a full-blown ecosystem, related to college students , parents, and invigilators, and stated the ministry is decided to dismantle it.
“I taught in college from number one to secondary college . What is a primary component there may be the rampant dishonest that is going on withinside the excessive college examination device ,” he stated .
“I do now no longer thoughts washing our very own grimy linen outside, due to the fact that’s how we ought to enhance our device .”
He praised the efforts made thus far in JAMB’s operations, stating:
“JAMB is a easy examination now, nearly 100% thought-free. The pervasive dishonest in NECO and WAEC is what’s inflicting this mess that we’re in. When you permit those inquiries to leak, there may be a whole loss of motivation for even the scholars that need to do the proper component .”
He stated the difficulty isn’t always approximately college students being certainly cheating , however approximately the corrupt device they locate themselves.
“And we’ve got plenty of our younger citizens, they’re very energetic, they’re very productive, however it’s miles of their DNA to do well. But it’s the surroundings they locate themselves and that’s what we’re decided to prevent ,” he stated.
“And we’ve got made right development in preventing this. And we’re going to be very forceful approximately this due to the fact we’ve got a young people populace that we’re schooling to be useful, to supply to the u . s . a . and to the sector at large. We can’t manage to pay for for this pervasiveness to retain in our schooling device . That is why we’re attacking this frontally,” he added.
The 2025 UTME noticed over 1. five million applicants rating underneath 200, sparking national concerns.
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