Nsukka, Nigeria – Prof. Okechukwu Nwaubani, Department of Social Science Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has attributed recent mass failure in the 2025 examination conducted by the Joint Matriculation Board (JAMB) to poor preparation and social media abuse by candidates.
Nwaubani said this in Nsukka on Thursday while speaking on recent massive failure recorded in JAMB examination.
He said youths have failed to make positive use of social media to improve in their academic but use it for frivolous negative things.
“Many of those candidates who scored less than 200 in the last JAMB were 24 hours on Social Media and internet doing frivolous negative things that have no benefit impact in their academic.
“They didn’t devote time to study on their own or register in exam preparatory centres around them to prepare for the exam rather they believe in cheating during the exam,” he said.
The educationist said he was not surprised on the mass failure because when JAMB closed all the loopholes available for cheating, he envisaged mass failure.
“Closing these loopholes as well as ensuring tight security in all centres exposed candidates who believe in exam cheating.
“Well conducted exam is like the computer jagon that says ‘what you garbage in is what you garbage out” because your level of preparation in any exam manifests in your performance during that exam,” he said.
Nwaubani, who is the Director of Curriculum Development and Instructional Materials Centre (CUDIMAC) in UNN, commended the JAMB leadership for its commitment in ensuring that only candidates who prepared very well for the exam “comes out in flying colours” and urged them to keep it up.
“Now, candidates know that exam cheating no longer pays; candidates preparing for the 2026 exam ‘must burn their midnight lamp’ since there is no room for cheating again,” he said.
The don, however, blamed some parents who aid their children in examination malpractice by giving them huge amount of money to register in miracle centres where exam officials are usually compromised but this time it did not work.
“Parents doing this should stop it because they are killing the future of their children.
“Parents must instill the virtues of hard work, God-fearing and honesty in their children, these will help them to bring honour to the family instead of shame and disgrace,” Nwaubani added
According to the JAMB recent results released, out of 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), over 1.5 million candidates scored less than 200 in the exam.
