Professor Joy Ezeilo, a respected legal expert and former UN Special Rapporteur, has said that the failure of many students in the 2025 UTME exam is not because they are not intelligent. She praised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for taking responsibility for the poor results.
Ezeilo, who also served as Dean at the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu, believes it’s wrong to think that more than 60% of students failed because they lack intelligence or don’t care about school anymore.
She shared her thoughts after JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, admitted that errors during the exam may have affected students’ performance in the 2025 UTME.
Earlier, JAMB had revealed that out of the 1.9 million students who took the exam, over 1.5 million scored below 200 out of 400. This raised concern among parents, students, and educators.
Speaking in an interview with DAILY POST, Ezeilo said using new technology for exams should be done step by step. Many students were not familiar with the new digital systems, which may have led to their poor performance.
She said JAMB did the right thing by accepting blame for the issue. She also pointed out that students from rural areas and those with less access to technology were at a big disadvantage.
According to her, Nigeria is a country with huge differences between the rich and poor, city and village life, and even between boys and girls. Because of this, it’s not fair to make big exam changes without fixing the digital gap first.
She explained that many rural students and girls don’t have access to computers or the internet. This affects their ability to use digital tools and succeed in tech-based exams.
As a teacher, Ezeilo said she cannot believe that so many students failed because they are not smart or don’t care about learning. She believes most students are capable if given the right support.
Ezeilo suggested that computer-based exams should be introduced slowly. Students should be given choices for a few years before the full switch. This gradual change should take at least five to ten years.
In the end, she said a slow and steady change will help students adjust better and make sure all students, no matter their background, get a fair chance.
