The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has stated that the high failure rate in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) demonstrates that the government’s anti-malpractice policies are working, particularly within the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) system.
His comments came amid widespread alarm over JAMB’s announcement of results showing that just roughly 420,000 of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the 2025 UTME scored above 200, implying that more than 78 per cent failed to clear the 200-mark requirement.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Tuesday, Alausa stated that the dip in performance represents a considerable reduction in examination misconduct as a result of JAMB’s enhanced security standards.
“That’s a big concern, and it’s a reflection of exams being done the proper way,” the minister said.
“JAMB conducts its exam using a computer-based testing system. They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been completely eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO.”
Alausa said that upon assumption of office, the education ministry undertook a complete evaluation of the country’s examination processes.
As part of broader changes, he declared that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council will switch to computer-based testing by November 2025, beginning with objective papers.
“We have to use technology to fight this fraud,” Alausa said. “There are so many ‘miracle centres’, and that is simply unacceptable. People cheat during WAEC and NECO exams and then face JAMB, where cheating is nearly impossible. That’s the disparity we’re seeing now. It’s sad,” the minister said.
He also emphasised that exam malpractice undermines academic integrity and demoralises industrious pupils.
Alausa said, The worst part of cheating is that it disincentivises the hard-working ones,” he said. “If I’m preparing for WAEC or NECO and I know some classmates already have access to the questions, do you think I’ll still study hard? No, I’ll be tempted to join them. That’s how good students are corrupted, and that’s exactly what we must stop.”
Alausa emphasised that the ministry is still dedicated to implementing technology-based solutions to rebuild trust in Nigeria’s exams and admissions processes.
