2024 UTME: Parents, teachers fault failure rate, say network glitche

Parents and teachers of candidates who registered for the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination have bemoaned the 77% failure rate recorded by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board.

On Monday, JAMB said 77% of the 1,842,464 candidates whose 2024 UTME results were released, scored less than 200 out of 400.

However, some parents and teachers argued that there was no justification for the results as some registered candidates couldn’t sit the examination due to network glitches and a shortage of computer systems.

Thus, they wondered how JAMB concluded that 77% failed while some were yet to write the examination.

Speaking to our correspondent on Friday, Bosede Agbede, a staff member of Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Imirin, Ondo State, said many students who registered for the UTME examination at the Greater Tomorrow examination centre, Arigidi, Akoko area of the state, were denied opportunity to sit for the examination.

Agbede said candidates above seat number 200 were unable to write the examination due to a shortage of computers and server issues.

She narrated, “I registered 90 students of my school for the 2024 JAMB examination and they were posted to different centres in Ondo State. On April 19, in one of the centres which is Greater Tomorrow, Arigidi Akoko, some of the students came out of the exam hall lamenting that they were unable to sit for the exam due to a network glitch (log-in failure).

“Even on Saturday, one of the second set of students who went for the examination faced the same issue. They said they do not have more than 200 functional computers. So, students whose seat numbers are above 200 would have to wait. So, we waited till the exam was concluded but nothing was done about their cases.”

Agbede recounted her attempts to address this issue with exam supervisors but was met with empty promises that they would be rescheduled.

“Then I met with the exam supervisor who told me that many students were affected and would be called back later to sit for the examination. The parents of one of the students who couldn’t sit for the exam told me that they received a message to reschedule for Monday. So, we went there but nothing was done. I was even denied access to enter the premises and there were other parents there complaining about the same issue.

“The students are all bothered and depressed and scared of having to wait a whole year to sit for another exam. Many students were unable to write the 2024 JAMB exams not because of their errors or mistakes but JAMB’s errors,” she added.

She lamented that even after JAMB released the results, the affected candidates had not been given an opportunity to sit for their exams.

“With the fact that some students were unable to sit for the exam, JAMB released results and even announced that 77% of the registered candidates failed.

“What category do candidates who were unable to sit for the examination despite doing their biometrics fall into? This is seriously affecting the students and they are disturbed and depressed,” she added.

A parent, Adeyemi Fayose, expressed his disappointment as his daughter was unable to sit for the exam due to server errors.

Fayose said despite promises from supervisors that she would be called back for a rescheduled exam, nothing has been done yet.

He added that she has been in a bad state since the release of the 2024 JAMB result, adding that despite promises that she would be called back to resit for the examination, nothing had been done yet.

“I took my daughter to the examination centre but she was unable to sit for it because of a login issue. However, the supervisors promised that those who were unable to write the exams would be called back to resit but instead, the JAMB released results and announced mass failure.

“My daughter has been weeping since then. This is unfair to us. JAMB should find a solution to our problems. How can we pay and not have access to the exam? he queried.

A parent, simply identified as Mr Okudalaye echoed similar sentiments about the JAMB announcement, saying that 77% of registered candidates failed without consideration for those who couldn’t access the portal or write their exams.

Okudalaye said her efforts to reach out for clarifications were ignored by JAMB.

She said her daughter had been weeping all day and worried that her hope of getting admission into a higher institution was dashed.

She said, “We sent a message to their Gmail, raised a complaint ticket and got a notification that our message had been received and even called the number on the JAMB website. Now JAMB has released the results and percentage of those who failed whereas our children were unable to write the examination.

“JAMB needs to answer us. They have to resolve this.”

On Monday, JAMB released the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results.

The Board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede disclosed that “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”

Oloyede added that 77% of the 1,842,464 candidates whose results were released on Monday, scored less than 200.

Following the announcement, Nigerians lamented the poor performance.

Some blamed the poor performance on social media while others blamed TikTok and internet fraud, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo.

A lawyer identified as Foundational Nupe Lawyer1 on X.com lamented the deplorable 77% failure recorded in the UTME results.

He wrote “There are so many things to blame for this JAMB mass failure, but what tops the list for me is social media. Children who should be busy with studying are always on social media as content creators on different platforms, while neglecting their education or giving little time for it.

Omotola Oluwadare blamed TikTok and internet fraud, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo. He wrote, “The TikTok and yahoo generation, pampered by their too-know parents.”

A Facebook user, Beauty Oduali-Olusakin, however, blamed examination phobia.

Oduali-Olusakin noted, “A lot of factors are responsible for this not-so-encouraging outcome. Some children didn’t prepare adequately for whatever reason(s). Some had issues with the computer. Some got to the exam venue late and couldn’t relax while doing the exam. Some had examination fever being the very first external exams for them. Some couldn’t meet up within the allotted time, so they couldn’t attempt all the questions.”

During the just concluded UTME, hundreds of candidates were left stranded and frustrated on Friday morning at some centres as downpour and system glitch disrupted their examination.

Following the complaint, JAMB appealed to candidates who experienced glitches in the course of the examination to remain calm as they would be rescheduled.