JAMB is currently trending on Twitter Nigeria, and from what I have seen, it’s unfortunately not for the right reasons.
But before we delve into the reason, let’s first take a quick look at the history of JAMB.
First of all, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is the examination board responsible for conducting the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) — an entrance exam for students seeking admission into universities across Nigeria.
Technically, the exam itself is UTME, not "JAMB," but over time, almost everyone has come to call it "JAMB," and the name has stuck.
According to Google, JAMB was founded in 1978.
Before then, each university had its own entrance examination system, but JAMB was established to unify the admission process under one body.
In recent years, despite the shift to CBT (Computer-Based Testing), there have been growing questions about whether JAMB is still necessary.
This doubt is fueled by several factors that have continued to affect candidates ("jambites") year after year — issues like poor timing, random posting to distant centers, and faulty computers during the exam.
But honestly, among all these issues, I believe the most important factor is time.
We must recall that the minimum age for entering a Nigerian university is 16 years.
This means most jambites are between 15 and 17 years old — basically teenagers, many of whom are writing such a critical exam for the first time.
Now imagine fixing their exam for 6:30 AM!
Even 7:00 AM is still very early, especially considering the logistics — how is a 16-year-old supposed to get to a center, sometimes far from home, by that time and still be mentally and physically prepared to perform well?
It just doesn’t seem fair.
Especially given the recent insecurity that has plagued Nigeria, why should a teenager leave the house in the dark, all in the name of writing an exam?
Also, there's the issue of posting candidates far from their homes because they didn't register early, and all the nearby centers were filled up.
Should that be an excuse for posting someone to a center where he or she would have to spend ₦5,000 on transport, given the present economic crisis?
Then there are faulty systems in some centers.
The funny thing about JAMB exams is that there is no alternative — if you don't pass JAMB or you miss your exam, you would have to come back the following year.
This is unlike WAEC where if you miss a paper or fail, you can either write GCE or NECO, which could still get you admission into a university that accepts them.
So, about JAMB, what should be done?
Should it be scrapped?
Well, for me, I am not in support of scrapping any exam.
However, I strongly believe the whole institutetion needs to undergo serious reforms.
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