Nigeria’s push towards digitisation in education is under fresh scrutiny as recent crises involving the **Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)** and the **West African Examinations Council (WAEC)** spotlight systemic flaws, weak technological infrastructure, and dwindling public trust.
The controversies surrounding the **2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME)** and the **West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE)** have amplified concerns over the integrity of national examinations, raising fundamental questions about Nigeria’s readiness for a digital future.
#### JAMB’s UTME Server Failure
The 2025 UTME, taken by over **1.95 million candidates**, became the subject of public outrage after technical failures marred the exercise. Nearly **380,000 candidates**, mostly in Lagos and the South-East, were affected by a major server crash linked to the negligence of a third-party service provider.
The glitch prevented candidate responses from uploading correctly during the first five days of testing, forcing JAMB to order a resit for those affected. Although the intervention provided some relief, it deepened doubts about the board’s preparedness for fully digitised examinations.
Even after the rescheduled tests, more than **70 per cent of candidates** failed to meet the benchmark score of 200, further fuelling debates about structural weaknesses in the education system and the reliability of its assessment mechanisms.
#### WAEC’s Flawed Grading System
WAEC also came under fire following inconsistencies in its 2025 WASSCE results. Initially, only **38.32 per cent** of the **1.5 million candidates** who sat for the exams were recorded as passing. Four days later, WAEC revised the figure upward to **62.96 per cent**, attributing the discrepancy to errors caused by a new “paper serialisation” security measure.
The council admitted the glitch distorted the marking of core subjects, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics. Compounding the controversy, nearly **192,000 candidates** were flagged for suspected malpractice, while **23 per cent** of results were withheld for further verification.
The abrupt changes and technical lapses led to the temporary suspension of WAEC’s results portal and cast fresh doubts on the credibility of its processes. Parents, students, and education stakeholders criticised the body for undermining trust in one of Nigeria’s most vital examination systems.
#### Deeper Institutional Flaws
Education analysts argue that the problems at JAMB and WAEC reflect broader dysfunctions in governance, oversight, and data management within Nigeria’s education sector. With each examination body operating in isolation, the absence of an integrated assessment and data-sharing framework fuels inefficiencies, duplication, and opportunities for malpractice.
The reliance on high-stakes, single-sitting exams further compounds the situation, making any technical or procedural failure catastrophic for millions of students and their families.
Experts warn that unless Nigeria addresses these structural weaknesses, the country risks not just automating dysfunction but also eroding the credibility of its educational certification systems in an increasingly digital world.
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