The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ben Kalu, has declared that the integrity of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) must not be compromised by technical lapses or human errors, following widespread issues with the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, Kalu emphasized that the technical glitches experienced during the examination were not failures on the part of candidates, nor deliberate acts of sabotage, but rather preventable human errors within the system.
"The events surrounding the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination have shaken public confidence in one of the nation's most critical gateways to opportunity," Kalu stated. He noted that the mass outcry following the release of this year's results and subsequent technical review demands not only transparency but decisive action to restore faith in the educational system.
While acknowledging JAMB Registrar Prof. Ishaq Oloyede's swift apology, Kalu pointed out that it "did not erase the trauma, disruption and uncertainty experienced by the young people and their families."
"To the affected candidates: your frustration is valid, and your voices have been heard. The integrity of our national examinations must never be compromised by technical lapses or human error," the Deputy Speaker assured.
In response to these challenges, Kalu has called on JAMB to commission an independent, transparent audit of its entire examination infrastructure. This audit should involve external professionals, system engineers, and academic measurement experts to scrutinize every aspect of the Computer Based Test (CBT) engine, question delivery, answer validation, and result collation processes.
The Deputy Speaker further recommended that the examination body implement stronger deployment validation protocols and real-time monitoring mechanisms to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The 2025 UTME technical crisis has drawn significant attention from various stakeholders, with South-East senators also questioning the examination glitches and warning against reoccurrence. In response to the challenges, JAMB has introduced an emergency support center for affected candidates.
