2025 UTME: No perfect technology, software is bound to malfunction – FPI insists JAMB Registrar, Prof Oloyede, isn’t to blame

The Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, under the leadership of the rector, Dr Mukhail Akinde FCA ACTI, has thrown its heavy weight behind the Executive Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede,

He noted at the controversial low performance of candidates at the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) was due to a software malfunction.

Dr Akinde stated that considering the Registrar’s motive which was more of improving the quality of education, as well as eradicating the agelong examination practices in Nigeria, every reasonable Nigerian should accept the inevitability of Computer-Based Test (CBT) which readily comes with its own susceptibility; prone to occasional malfunction.

Fielding impromptu questions from journalists in his office at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro administrative block on Friday, 16th May, 2025, the rector issued a bombshell when he said the results were not so bad in itself, implying that the percentage of candidates who scored below 160-199 (50.29%) was not out of place.

Dr Akinde posited that by tracking the records of the Registrar, it is noticeable that the conduct of the examination has improved tremendously from what it used to be.

“The performance of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) over years before Prof Oloyede from 2018 to 2024 on the average, of candidates who scored between 139 to 119 was 78.3%.

“For us in academics, we talk with statistics, this year’s result is not a failure, it was a good result.

“Now about technology, there is no fully satisfied technology in the whole world. You are talking about an automated centre, software can malfunction at any time without human intervention.

“You will recall that when Profess Oloyede came in as the Executive Registrar of JAMB, his intervention has been to redirect JAMB in ensuring that candidates are exposed to modern technology, not only that, the examination body which was at the verge of been scrapped due to its level of ridiculous irregularity has become something that is not common again.

“Moreso, the Registrar, Professor Oloyede has taken full responsibility, for the first time, I am seeing in this country that we have a leader, even though the glitches were minor, he has taken responsibility unlike leaders in Africa who were known for shifting blame.

“Not only that, he has given such candidates the opportunity to rewrite the examination.

“Before this incident, I am aware Nigerians were all proud of Professor Ishaq Oloyede because he was able to reposition JAMB to be an Institution that is one of the best in Nigeria, so, now that the so-called glitch occurs, it is naivety on the part of some people to call for his sanction.

“For us at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, considering the cumulative performance of the Registrar, yes it’s painful that some candidates were affected, the good news is that Professor Ishaq Oloyede has also given the opportunity to this set of candidates to rewrite the examination”.

Dr Akinde disagreed with a section of the populace who argued that most of the candidates didn’t know the usage of the buttons and keys on the computer to answer the questions which was responsible for their low performance, saying that, in addition to the fact that they have been duly tutored during the Mock Examination, there were clear instructions on the screen of the computers, for which they don’t have any other options than to read it carefully and assimilate before proceeding to answer the questions.

Mr Ismail Odeyemi who was incharge of the CBT Centre of FPI, said the computer was configured to ask the candidates several times if they actually wanted to submit, in addition to the fact that the supervisors were readily available to guide any candidates facing challenges in the use of the computer.

“On the Computer’s screen allotted to each candidate, the instructions were clearly written. JAMB has simplified every process. There’s a keyboard and mouse. Most importantly, they are expected to be computer literate, at least.

“So, when the candidate clicks an answer, the colour of the alphabet changes from red to green, which means it’s self-explanatory.

“Also, they were given a rough answer sheet where the examination’s instructions/procedures were written clearly”.

Engr Frank Ajibodu, the technical officer of the Polytechnic noted that JAMB has made provision for a five minutes orientation at the examination hall where supervisors were directed to guide the candidates through the instructions on the computer screen on how to start, click answer and submit the answer sheet when they are done with the questions.

He said also that it is the duty of the candidates and their parents to build confidence which must have automatically allayed what some commentators described as Examiphobia, adding that such phobia was not new, it also existed during the paper-pencil era of 20th century.

Concluding, Dr Akinde charges parents to dedicate more of their time to monitoring the children’s studying time and preventing them from spending most of their time in using phones, proffering that secondary students should not be allowed to own a phone.