What in the World - JAMB 2025: How Nigeria’s university entrance exams went wrong

Download JAMB 2025: How Nigeria’s university entrance exams went wrong

Hundreds of thousands of students in Nigeria have been told they can retake their JAMB university entrance exam. That’s after nearly 80 per cent of them failed the test in March amid power cuts and computer glitches during the exams. The low pass rate sparked a national outcry, especially after the Minister of Education initially claimed it was caused by students cheating. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has now apologised - but what does the incident say about Nigeria’s digital infrastructure?

The BBC’s Madina Maishanu explains what caused the technical issues, and why the exam board has now decided to allow retakes. We also hear from students across Nigeria about the impact the glitches have had on their hopes of getting into university.

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: William Lee Adams, Chelsea Coates and Julia Ross-Roy
Editor: Verity Wilde

Published on Monday, 19th May 2025.

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