- House of Reps committee says UTME crisis was caused by human, not technical, error
- JAMB had admitted that there was a technical glitch which affected hundreds of thousands of students
- The panel further promised continued oversight as JAMB begins a review
The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies has attributed the crisis surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to human error, not a technical glitch as widely speculated.
At a press conference held on Tuesday, May 20, Chairman of the committee, Oboku Oforji, said preliminary investigations revealed that lapses in human input were responsible for the irregularities that affected the scores of over 300,000 candidates.
“We have conducted an initial review of the processes leading up to the release of the 2025 UTME results, and our findings so far point to human error,” Oforji stated. “It is important to clarify that this was not a system or technological failure.”
The committee’s revelation comes amid growing backlash from students, parents, and education stakeholders over widespread discrepancies in UTME results released by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Many candidates had alleged that their scores were not reflective of their performance, with some claiming technical glitches during the computer-based tests.
JAMB had earlier announced that it would begin a comprehensive review of the examination process to address public concerns. The board also confirmed that experts from various educational and technological sectors were being engaged to evaluate the issues and recommend corrective actions.
Oforji assured Nigerians that the committee would continue to monitor the situation and ensure transparency and accountability from JAMB.
“We owe it to the candidates, their families, and the nation to get to the bottom of this and restore public confidence in the examination process,” he said.
The 2025 UTME, which saw over 1.9 million candidates participate, has drawn criticism for the low performance rate, with more than 75% scoring below the 200 mark out of a possible 400.
The committee is expected to present a full report of its findings to the House once investigations are concluded.
UTME 2025: JAMB admits to errors as Registrar Oloyede breaks down in tears
Earlier, TheRadar reported that the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, broke down into tears as he publicly admitted to errors in the conduct of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The board's errors, he confirmed, negatively impacted candidates' performance and caused widespread distress.
