UTME: 8,391 students to file class-action suit as JAMB responds to technical challenges
In response to a surge of public outcry over claims of technical malfunctions, incomplete exam questions, and abnormally low scores in the recently concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has called for an immediate assessment of the exam.
This situation arises amid reports that thousands of candidates are preparing to initiate a class-action legal case against JAMB over alleged flaws during the examination.
However, in a statement released on Monday by the board’s Public Communication Advisor, Dr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB acknowledged what it termed an “unusual volume of complaints” following the announcement of the UTME results last Friday.
The statement indicated that this surge of complaints led the board to accelerate its standard post-exam review process, which normally occurs months after the test.
“We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinising these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the statement reads.
The spokesperson further clarified that the annual review process involves an assessment of the three major stages of the UTME: registration, the conduct of the examination, and the issuance of results.
He also noted that should any defects be discovered in the system, JAMB would take swift action to apply necessary corrective measures.
“To assist in this process, we have engaged a number of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Chief External Examiners, who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and Vice Chancellors from various institutions.
“If it is determined that there were indeed glitches, we will implement appropriate remedial measures promptly, as we do in the case of the examinations themselves,” Dr Benjamin said.
An education advocate and the Chief Executive Officer of Educare, Alex Onyia, disclosed that legal proceedings would be taken against JAMB at the Federal High Court.
Onyia stated that over 8,000 impacted candidates had officially lodged complaints about the exam’s technical flaws and are requesting JAMB to provide comprehensive score sheets for confirmation.
“Currently, we have 8,391 students who have sent in their complaints regarding the glitches in the JAMB 2025 exam,” Onyia posted on his X page, @winexv. “There is ample evidence to prove that JAMB’s system was inefficient, thereby causing serious harm to these students’ mental health.”
