JAMB Admits System Failure – 370,000 Students to Retake UTME as Trust Erodes
When education systems break, it’s not just scores that drop it’s trust, time, and money.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) just admitted to massive errors in the 2025 UTME results. The fallout? A staggering 379,997 students that’s over a third of a million will now retake the exam starting Friday, May 16.
Let that number sink in.
This isn’t a technical glitch. It’s an institutional crisis with a fiscal footprint.
The Breakdown: Error by the Numbers
· 157 centres affected 65 in Lagos, 92 across the South-East
· 206,610 students in Lagos alone must return to the halls
· Exams rescheduled, slips reprinted, lives put on hold
· Students will be notified by SMS, email, and phone calls
· JAMB has coordinated with WAEC to avoid schedule clashes
JAMB boss Prof. Is-haq Oloyede took full responsibility:
“I apologize and take full responsibility not just in words.”
But this isn’t just about apology. It’s about repercussions.
Financial Juggernut Insight:
System Errors Come with Price Tags
Here’s what this blunder costs in plain economic terms:
Institutional Costs
· Logistics to reschedule 380,000 exams
· Reprinting materials, rebooking venues, restaffing
· Lost public trust
Family-Level Costs
· Extra transport, meals, and missed work for parents
· Psychological toll and study fatigue for students
· Potential clash with WAEC or other obligations
When bureaucracy fumbles, it’s the families who foot the bill.
What This Teaches About Education Finance
1. Education is an investment every missed step dilutes ROI
2. System stability is economic infrastructure a broken exam system destabilizes futures
3. Transparency is capital and JAMB’s is taking a hit