The physique that manages the college enthusiasm exams in Nigeria has admitted a “technical downside” that has compromised some outcomes of this 12 months’s assessments, after nearly 80% of scholars obtained low votes.
The college students complained that they aren’t in a position to entry computer systems, questions that don’t current themselves and meals cuts making it inconceivable to take the exams.
The low passage charge aroused widespread indignation, particularly after a candidate has dedicated suicide.
Faith Opusi Timileyin, 19 years previous, who aspired to check microbiology on the college, died after swallowing the poison, stated his household.
His father and older sister informed the BBC that that they had taken the examination for the second time and that he had obtained 146 manufacturers on 400, decrease than 193 who had final 12 months.
“The ache made her take up her life,” his father, Oluwafemi opusi, informed BBC Pidgin.
Generally 200 or greater out of 400 are adequate to acquire a spot on the college within the exams managed by the joint fee of admissions and matriculi (Jamb).
Only 400,000 of the 1.9 million college students have reached that model, one of many worst performances in recent times.
A scholar, Favor Eke, informed BBC Igbo that 10 of the 165 questions didn’t seem on the display screen – every little thing he might see have been the a number of alternative choices for the solutions.
“We have been informed to omit the empty questions and to proceed the examination, however afterwards it was very tough to give attention to it,” he stated.
He additionally encountered technical issues acquiring his outcomes, which signifies that it is rather unlikely that he arrives on the college this 12 months, the third time he took the exams.
He was a part of the take a look at within the capital, Abuja, who just isn’t one of many facilities the place college students can resume the exams, leaving it utterly upset.
Another scholar stated he had issue accessing the pc earlier than another person’s profile seems to be about mysteriously on the display screen, displaying completely different questions after which the automotive goes out briefly.
“I couldn’t reply all of the questions after they informed us that our time had expired as a result of a number of my time was wasted due to these technical difficulties,” he stated.
The physique of the exams apologized for the “painful harm” and “the trauma that subjected the affected Nigerians”.
In a press convention, Jamb Ishaq Oloyed’s chancellor broke in tears as he apologized.
He introduced that nearly 380,000 candidates in 157 facilities affected by a complete of 887 would have been in a position to resume the exams ranging from Saturday.
The areas which are most affected are Lagos and several other states within the south-east.
Jamb has blamed a chapter of the pc system in loading the responses of the exams from the candidates in these areas in the course of the first days of the exams.
He stated that an “uncommon stage of public issues and robust complaints” pushed us to make a right away audit or evaluate. “Usually, this is able to have occurred in June, he stated.
The nationwide examination, often known as Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), is a pc -based take a look at that could be a requirement for individuals who mix universities and different tertiary establishments.
The 2025 take a look at, which was carried out in March, was ruined by interruptions on account of present interruptions in some areas.
The head of the examination physique at the start of this week defended the poor outcomes, saying that he had mirrored the “actual educational abilities” of the scholars and who have been on account of a block of dishonest.
Many Nigerians on social media have requested for accountability, with some resignation of Oloyede.
The determine of the opposition Peter Obi stated that though the request for forgiveness was commendable, the query raised “a really worrying query about defects and critical chaos” in essential establishments.
The Right Oduala proper activist stated that it was “incompetence. It is instructional sabotage. It needs to be arrested instantly”.
Further reviews by Chukwunaeme objects, Andrew Gift, Madina Maishanu and great Obomanu in Nigeria
