Parents of candidates impacted by the “human error” that caused a glitch in the 2025 Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Examination are requesting a postponement of the scheduled resit, which is set to commence today, until June 2025. This demand reflects the concerns of parents regarding the timing of the re-examination.

A post from the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on its official X handle on Thursday stated, “…all the affected candidates will be contacted to reprint their examination slips towards retaking their examinations starting from 16th May, 2025 (today).” This official communication from JAMB informed affected candidates about the commencement of the resit examination today and the process for reprinting their examination slips.

One of the affected students posted on X the SMS he received after getting notification for the examination. This firsthand account provides insight into how candidates were informed about the resit.

“You have been scheduled to sit the 2025 UTME Resit examination slated for Friday, May 16, 2025 by 12:00 pm. To know your centre, reprint your Examination slip by visiting.” This SMS message, shared by a student, confirms the date and time of the resit examination and directs candidates on how to find their examination center.

Some of the parents, who spoke in separate interviews (with The Punch) on Thursday, cited the traumatic experiences of the candidates, the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination, and the distance to the exam centres, among other issues.

On Wednesday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board admitted a technical error that affected over 300,000 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination.

Speaking during a press conference, the JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, a professor, expressed deep regret over what he described as a disappointing setback in the exercise that had, until the glitch, been considered one of the most successful in recent years.

“So, I appeal to the candidates and those affected by the error of our system to accept this explanation as the truth of the matter without embellishment, please. I apologise and take full responsibility, not just in words,” he said.

Oloyede said the issue affected 157 examination centres across Lagos and the South-East.

He said the glitch affected 206,610 candidates across 65 centres in Lagos State and 173,387 candidates in 92 centres across South East states.

While 54.37 per cent of candidates affected are in Lagos, the remaining 45.63 per cent are spread across Anambra, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi, and Enugu States.

Oloyede explained that the glitch was caused by a failed patch meant to update examination servers in the region.

He assured that the affected candidates could retake the examination between May 16 and May 18, 2025.

A parent, Mr Bukola Omoniyi noted that his child had since returned to his school located in Oyo state.

“This is not fair. You can’t say the children have to sit the examination immediately. They are currently doing WAEC. We got a text today (Thursday) saying he has to sit the examination on Saturday. Meanwhile, he is already in Ibadan. How will he rush down to Lagos because his centre is in Lagos, and then rush back to school? This is unfair.

“No one cares about the psychological trauma on these children. This was no fault of theirs, why should they be made to suffer consequences for what they know not?” he queried.

Another parent, Mrs Aisha Okikiola, noted that her child, who was preparing for a WAEC paper, had to start reading for UTME, which she said is confusing the candidate.

“My child is to resit the UTME on Saturday, and she has WAEC on Sunday. The two examination bodies have different syllabi. Do you know how difficult it is trying to juggle two different syllabuses at the same time? We are asking that JAMB postpone the examination till June, when the children will be done with their WAEC, so that they will have enough time to rest,” she demanded.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a principal in one of the Catholic schools in Enugu noted that the school reached out to parents to discuss arrangements for the UTME, describing the situation as taxing.

She stated, “It has not been easy for us. Almost all our students are having the resit. This is WAEC time. Some of them are scared because they have to start reading afresh. It will be kind and reasonable if JAMB can shift this examination to June, when the students would have concluded their WAEC. Some of them have centres very far away from here. We are talking about safety here.”

A parent in Imo, Mr Felix Onuoha, said, “I subscribe to the suggestion that the resit be moved to after WAEC so that the students will have ample time to study. What happened is not their fault, and they should not be punished for it.”

The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria urged parents to cooperate with the examination body to ensure the success of the planned resit scheduled for students affected by the glitch.

The National President of NAPTAN, Haruna Danjuma, said this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

He noted, “What happened is painful to all. The traumatic experience on the part of the candidates and all but the most important thing is that JAMB acknowledged its mistake and has announced the plan to reschedule the examination for all the affected candidates. Our plea is for parents to please cooperate with JAMB to ensure that this resit is a success.”

The spokesperson for JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, could not be reached for a reaction to the parents’ demand as calls to his phone rang out. He had yet to respond to a message as of the time of filing this report.

Over 1.9 million candidates sat this year’s UTME, of which 1.5mn scored less than 200 points out of the 400 obtainable points.

However, some candidates protested their low scores, insisting they performed better than their results showed. Other Nigerians on social media also criticised JAMB for what they described as a massive failure.

But Oloyede said the UTME statistics are consistent with what has been obtainable over the years.

Last year, 76 per cent of candidates who participated in the UTME scored less than 200 points.

According to JAMB, in 2022, 1.3mn candidates out of 1.7mn or 78 per cent, who took the 2022 UTME scored below 200.

In 2021, only 803 candidates out of 1.3 million –or 0.06 per cent– who sat the 2021 UTME scored above 300, Oloyede said at the time.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Thursday resolved to probe the technical error that led to the mass failure in the 2025 UTME.

The decision followed the consideration and adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Osun lawmaker, Adewale Adebayo.

A breakdown of the results released on May 9, 2025, showed that more than 78 per cent of candidates scored less than 200 points out of the 400 maximum points obtainable in the examination.

This development led to public outcry, with some Nigerians calling for the resignation of the JAMB Registrar.

Moving the motion, Adebayo said many Nigerians have suffered losses while travelling long distances to their UTME examination centres.

In his contribution, the member representing Jibia/Kaita Federal Constituency, Katsina State, Sada Soli, urged the House to commend the JAMB registrar for admitting the technical error and apologising to Nigerians.

He said the JAMB boss has “demonstrated integrity” and increased the board’s financial contribution to the federal purse since his appointment.

However, Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House, said it would be up to the committee investigating to decide whether or not to commend the JAMB registrar.

The motion was unanimously adopted when it was subjected to a voice vote by Abbas.

Consequently, the House asked the Federal Government to establish CTB centres across all local government areas across the country.

In a related development, the National Orientation Agency and the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria have commended the JAMB for its transparency in admitting the errors in the 2025 UTME, describing the move as a rare display of accountability in public service.

In a statement on Thursday by NOA’s Deputy Director, Media and Communication, Paul Odenyi, the agency praised the JAMB registrar for what he called his “integrity and courage” in publicly acknowledging lapses in the examination process.

The statement quoted the Director General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, as stating that the gesture aligns with the principles of the National Values Charter, which mandates public institutions to uphold transparency and accountability.

It said, “The National Orientation Agency has applauded the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board for its exceptional transparency and accountability in addressing the challenges that followed the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. The agency described JAMB’s open acknowledgement of its lapses as a rare and commendable act of leadership, one that reflects a deep sense of institutional responsibility.

“The Director General of the NOA, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, lauded the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, for demonstrating the kind of integrity and courage that public leadership demands. He noted that this act of forthrightness is not only a testament to Professor Oloyede’s personal values but also aligns with the principles of the National Values Charter, which enjoins all public institutions to operate with the highest standards of transparency and accountability.’’

However, the NOA boss stressed that mere acknowledgement of mistakes was not enough. He urged JAMB to go further by providing concrete remedies to affected candidates, including appropriate compensation to cushion the stress and anxiety caused by the glitches.

“While recognition of mistakes is the first step, redemption and restitution are other necessary steps to be taken. Having decided to provide another opportunity to the candidates as a way of redeeming the errors, it is imperative that JAMB considers appropriate compensation to mitigate the stress and anxiety these candidates may have suffered,” he said.

Onilu emphasised that JAMB’s example should serve as a blueprint for other public institutions, arguing that public trust is earned when agencies own their mistakes and act swiftly to correct them.

“JAMB’s example should serve as a model for other public institutions. When institutions own their mistakes and act to correct them, they earn the respect and confidence of the people,” he stated.

He reiterated the NOA’s commitment to promoting a governance culture built on trust, integrity, and mutual respect, insisting that such values are non-negotiable pillars of a just society.

“Every citizen, whether in public service or private life, has a duty to uphold the core values of integrity, accountability, and transparency. These values are not optional—they are the pillars of a just and equitable society,” the statement read.

The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, similarly commended the JAMB registrar for his honesty and accountability in addressing the technical glitches that marred the conduct of the 2025 UTME.

At a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, the Society described Oloyede’s public admission of fault and his apology over the glitches that affected over 379,000 candidates across 157 centres as a “rare act of responsible leadership in Nigeria’s education sector.”

According to MSSN Lagos, the registrar’s swift move to reschedule affected candidates for fresh exams on Friday and Saturday, and his openness about the failure of one of JAMB’s service providers, demonstrated “transparency, accountability, and a genuine concern for the well-being of Nigerian students.”

However, the MSSN reasoned that apologies must not replace consequences.

“While we commend Professor Oloyede for his forthrightness, we insist that erring officials and negligent service providers must not go unpunished. Centres found to have contributed to this failure, either through incompetence or violation of procedure, should be delisted immediately. Those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with the law,” the statement read.

The Society also announced its full support for Miss Lawal Adenike, a teenage Muslim girl who has taken JAMB and PEFTI CBT Centre in Ibadan to court for allegedly forcing her to remove her hijab before being allowed to sit for her UTME on April 25, 2025.

Speaking on the matter, Kamoldeen Abiona, the MSSN President, said the reported act was a clear violation of the girl’s constitutional right to freedom of religion, as enshrined in sections 38 and 42 of the Constitution.

“Forcing a Muslim girl to remove her hijab to sit for an examination is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and traumatic. It is an act of religious profiling that has no place in a multi-religious and democratic society like Nigeria,” the statement added.

Lawal’s case, which has attracted national attention, is being pursued in court by her mother and legal representatives.

MSSN Lagos called on JAMB to investigate the incident and issue fresh directives to all Computer-Based Test centres across the country, guaranteeing the right of Muslim female candidates to wear the hijab during examinations.

“No student should be forced to choose between her education and her faith. Being modestly dressed and being educated are not mutually exclusive,” the group emphasised.

The group urged JAMB to restore public confidence in the UTME process by strengthening its internal checks, taking disciplinary action where necessary, and protecting the rights and dignity of all candidates, regardless of religion or background.

While reiterating its support for Oloyede’s administration, MSSN Lagos emphasised that accountability, fairness, and respect for religious freedom must be the guiding principles of public service in a diverse nation like Nigeria.

Credit: The Punch