The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has linked the alarming number of poor performances (mass failure) in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to the federal government’s intensified war against examination malpractices.
In an interview on Channels Television, Politics Today, Tuesday, Dr. Alausa clarified that the 2025 UTME mass failure recorded is not due to a decline in student intelligence but rather a sign that the integrity of the examination system has been restored.
“This is not about the students being unintelligent. It’s a reflection of exams now being done the proper way,” Alausa stated.
According to the minister, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has become a model for transparent examinations, owing to its strict computer-based testing (CBT) system that has virtually eliminated cheating.
“JAMB conducts its exam using CBT and has built a fortress of security around the process. Fraud or cheating has been almost completely wiped out. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about WAEC and NECO yet,” he explained.
Alausa further revealed that efforts are underway to extend the JAMB-style anti-cheating measures to other national examination bodies. Beginning in November 2025, WAEC and NECO will begin migrating to CBT, with full adoption expected by 2027 across all major exam bodies, including EMBRAS and NBTEB.
“The solution is technology. From November this year, WAEC and NECO will begin using computer-based tests. We must dismantle this culture of malpractice from the roots,” the minister emphasized.
He condemned the pervasive exam fraud in secondary schools, blaming it for cultivating a generation of students who are rewarded for dishonesty while hardworking candidates are sidelined.
“Students cheat their way through WAEC and NECO and then crash during JAMB because there’s no room for malpractice. That’s the result we’re seeing now,” he said.
Alausa warned that the current system punishes honest students, leading to widespread discouragement.
“If I’m preparing for WAEC and I see my peers have access to the leaked questions, why would I study? I’ll feel left behind and join them. That’s the reality.”
He described the malpractice network as a full-blown ecosystem involving students, parents, teachers, and invigilators. Drawing from his own experience as a former school teacher, Alausa expressed his resolve to cleanse the system.
“We have allowed this decay to fester for too long. JAMB is now a clean exam. We must do the same for WAEC and NECO. This is about building the future of our country,” he said.
Dr. Alausa added that Nigerian students are inherently capable but are victims of a flawed system.
“Our youth are smart and full of potential. But the corrupt environment around them is the problem. We are determined to change that narrative,” he said.
The 2025 UTME saw over 1.5 million candidates score below 200, a figure that has triggered widespread concern and debate across the country.
