HISTORY OF JAMB AND THE UTME:

The year is 1978. Nigeria is in its last year of military rule under General Olusegun Obasanjo, something the citizens have yet to discover. The oil boom is happening, and the economy is vibrant. Meanwhile, in classrooms nationwide, students learn and prepare to go to higher institutions. But what steps were required to enrol at these higher institutions? 

Before 1978, the process was fairly flexible. With strong WAEC and university placement test scores, admission to desired universities was possible. However, in 1978, the Federal Military Government, under Decree No. 2, sought a way to centralise the admission process. The solution was the establishment of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB), a body that would administer a standardised matriculation exam that would then be used to admit students. 

The first University Matriculation Examination (UME) was conducted in 1979 and despite a few hiccups, it accomplished its objectives. In 1991, this body was tasked with administering similar exams for admissions into Polytechnics and Colleges of Education and subsequently Monotechnics in 1998. Thus, the first MPCME (Monotechnics, Polytechnics, and Colleges of Education Matriculation Exam) was born.

Fast-forward to the early 2000s, and the integrity of this body and the quality of exams being conducted come under heavy scrutiny. From the emergence of so-called “Miracle centres” where admission seekers could pay for their exams to be written or even have external candidates write on their behalf, to problems of missing scripts and no results. 

To combat this, the Ministry of Education, under the leadership of Chinwe Obaji, allows for the introduction of a familiar concept under a new name. Post UTME screenings (initially called Post UME examinations before the merger of the UME and the MPCME in 2009) are a secondary examination admission seekers are required to take after reaching a certain cut-off mark set by the university they apply for. 

The first was conducted in 2005. You might be wondering, isn’t this essentially the same as the examination students were required to take before JAMB was created in the first place? You’re right, it is. So haven’t we ended up exactly where we started with the introduction of an extra process? Spot on.

While ignoring the roundabout nature of the “solution”, several inconsistencies have been reported over the years. Since the mandatory introduction of the Computer Based Test (CBT) in 2015, exam takers have consistently complained about inadequate resources, hindering a smooth examination process. 

THE MODERN STATE OF THE EXAMS:

Despite being scheduled for 3 pm, my second JAMB exam was delayed to 5 pm due to a shortage of computer systems. This was surprising because I believed JAMB is required to verify that all centres can take the allocated number of students. Does JAMB lack the capacity to ensure adequate computer systems? However, the issue extends beyond the mere availability of computers.

There is another problem concerning the computer’s condition. Oyinkasola*, a student of Bowen University who recounted her experience with the exam, said, “My first JAMB was horrible, my questions weren’t loading.” 

Network glitches, power failures, and faulty systems have persistently plagued the examination, yet JAMB appears to have neglected these critical issues. Presumably, this could be part of the UTME failure rate. The number of students who scored below 200 stands at 77 percent and only around 20 percent of those who take the exam may be offered admission.

Unsurprisingly, these are not the only problems candidates face in the JAMB process. Reports of students being told to report to JAMB headquarters in Abuja to take their examinations as a result of biometric glitches and verification errors have been on the news front for years with no end in sight.

As a prospective candidate of the UTME, you are functionally only allowed one choice of institution during registration. This limits the choices of candidates, thereby putting them in a tight corner if they are not able to secure a spot in their chosen university’s admission cycle.

THE FINANCIAL PLIGHTS:

The body has slowly morphed from a student-first body to a source of revenue for the federation. In 2022, students were required to link National Identification Numbers (NINs) to their JAMB profiles. Not only was it a strenuous process, considering the number of applicants who hadn’t gotten one, but it was also an exploitative one. 

All students were required to pay ₦100 for SMS linkage to generate a profile code, but widespread technical issues forced many of the 1.8 million enrollees to pay multiple times.

Another sum of ₦50 was to be paid to access results via SMS messages and to print the original result slip, ₦1000 (currently ₦1500) was to be paid, a requirement that wasn’t present before. This excludes the registration fee applicants pay (₦7,700) or the separate payments to acquire essential documents like admission letters if the candidate successfully secures admission. 

This likely explains how JAMB has remitted over ₦50 billion to the federal government in the past six years. In the past, the body has lacked transparency with its finances. In 2018, a scandal erupted when a JAMB officer claimed that ₦36 million had been ‘swallowed by a snake.’.

Unlike foreign equivalents, JAMB’s validity is limited to a single year, forcing unsuccessful candidates to repeat payments the following year. The financial challenges faced by most Nigerians are evidence that examinees are not being prioritized.

Nevertheless, the exam itself is not the sole problem in the handling of student admission processes. Proper critique needs to be given to the catchment system — a system used by federal universities that allots a particular percentage of admission spots to students from the state the university is located in and the surrounding states. A student with a higher aggregate score ought not to be denied admission based on state of origin. 

When you consider the obstacles Nigerian students face when using this mode of entry, it is no surprise that many are opting for sixth-form programs like the JUPEB and Cambridge A-Levels. 

A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION:

However, when all is said and done, I believe that JAMB and the UTME have served their purpose and are due for dissolution. With 42% of its 230 million population under 18, Nigeria urgently needs to reform its education system to secure a brighter future. Louis, 19, a student of Lead City University, suggested, “I think a system that uses your secondary school grades to determine who to give admission to would be better.”

It seems wasteful to subject students who have completed six years of secondary education and passed major exams like WASSCE and NECO SSCE to two additional hurdles.

Additionally, it would serve the people better if there was a return to the sixth-form system where after A-Level exams, it would be a straight progression to the study of a candidate’s chosen course material instead of the somewhat preparatory 1st-year model being used. Any tertiary institution that believes its students may require any extra testing could also conduct an internal examination like the current Post UTME.

Perhaps the answer lies not in dissolution but in radical reformation. JAMB could be reimagined as a streamlined central application system, similar to the American College Board, where students submit their academic credentials once and universities make their own informed decisions. 

Under that system, students would create a comprehensive profile including their WAEC results, secondary school transcripts, and extracurricular achievements—eliminating the current maze of multiple examinations and redundant documentation. This transformation would fundamentally shift JAMB’s role from a gatekeeper to a facilitator, focusing on developing sophisticated digital infrastructure to connect students with institutions that best match their academic profiles and aspirations.

Moreover, this reformed system could address the current inequities perpetuated by the catchment system while significantly reducing families’ financial burden. The yearly cycle of examination fees would be replaced by a single, reasonable application fee. 

As we stand at a critical point in our educational history, the success stories of similar centralized application systems in other countries provide a clear blueprint for what’s possible. JAMB’s transformation could signify a new era in Nigerian higher education— one where the focus shifts from testing to truly facilitating the connection between talented students and quality education. Our next generation’s future hangs in the balance, and the time for this revolutionary change is now.