Anti-cheating measures is working – Education Minister defends mass JAMB failure

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has addressed the widespread failure recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), stating that it is a direct result of the government’s successful crackdown on examination malpractice

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Alausa dismissed claims that the poor performance reflects a decline in students’ intelligence. Instead, he said it signals a more credible and secure exam system where cheating has become nearly impossible.

“It is a reflection of exams being done the proper way,” he said.

Alausa praised the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for its strict implementation of Computer-Based Testing (CBT), which he said has drastically reduced fraud.

“JAMB conducts its exam using computer-based testing. They have put so much security in place that fraud or cheating has been completely eliminated. Now, we don’t have the same in our other exams, like WAEC and NECO,” he noted.

The minister revealed that the federal government is working to extend this model to other national examinations. Starting in November 2025, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) will begin transitioning to CBT, with a full transition across all major exams—including EMBRAS and NBTEB—expected by 2027.

“From November of this year, WAEC and NECO will migrate their exams to computer-based testing. We have to use technology to fight this fraud. Governmental centres called numerical centres are not acceptable,” he said.

Alausa blamed the culture of malpractice in secondary school exams for the disparity in performance seen in the UTME.

“But what you are seeing now, people cheat through the secondary school exam system WAEC and NECO and then they go to do JAMB, where they cannot cheat. And that’s the reflection of what we are seeing today. It’s bad,” he lamented.

He warned that dishonest systems discourage hardworking students and foster corruption in the education sector.

“The more important thing about cheating is that you disincentivise the hardworking students. If I were a student now, waiting for an exam like WAEC or NECO, and I realise some of my colleagues already have the questions, you think I will read? No, I will join them!” he stated.

Describing the malpractice issue as a full-blown ecosystem involving students, parents, and invigilators, Alausa said the ministry is determined to break the cycle.

“I taught in school from primary to secondary. What is basic there is the rampant cheating that goes on in the high school exam system,” he said. “I do not mind washing our own dirty linen outside, because that’s how we have to improve our system.”

He commended JAMB’s efforts in restoring integrity to its examinations.

“JAMB is a clean exam now, almost 100% thought-free. The pervasive cheating in NECO and WAEC is what is causing this mess that we are in. When you allow these questions to leak, there is a complete lack of motivation for even the students that want to do the right thing.”

Alausa insisted the problem lies not in the students themselves, but in the environment they are subjected to.

“We have a lot of our young citizens—they are very energetic, they are very productive. It is in their DNA to do well. But it’s the environment they find themselves in, and that’s what we are determined to stop,” he said.

“And we have made good progress in stopping this. And we are going to be very forceful about this because we have a youth population that we are training to be useful, to deliver to the country and to the world at large. We cannot afford for this pervasiveness to continue in our education system. That is why we are attacking this frontally.”

This year’s UTME saw over 1.5 million candidates score below 200, sparking nationwide concerns over the state of education in the country.

Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates