Impressed with the seamless conduct of the just-concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Hon. Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa has submitted that the UTME is a model of integrity and international best practices.
The Minister commended JAMB for effective and efficient administration of the examination, its transparency, emphasizing that it met international benchmarks.
The Minister gave this commendation while monitoring the conduct of the examination at the Headquarters PTC; Kogo Professional Testing Centre, Abuja, as well as the Control Room at the Board’s National Headquarters, Bwari, Abuja, where he saw first-hand how JAMB was digitally monitoring the examinations nationwide in real time, among other great innovations rolled out by the Board in recent times.
While fielding questions from newsmen after the exercise, the Minister, who was visibly-satisfied with the successes recorded by JAMB, said the adoption of Computer-Based Test (CBT) as implemented by the Board, has helped in addressing the issue of examination malpractice.
“I went to other CBT centres aside my visit to the JAMB National Headquarters, Bwari, where the Board’s functionaries took me on a tour of the control room where exams are being monitored across the country.
“I must tell you that I am extremely impressed. The way JAMB is conducting its annual exam meets all international benchmarks. It’s an exam that is fool-proof against examination cheats.
“In essence, this is an exam that is done, monitored, and coordinated with the highest level of integrity. I’m happy that we’re able to do this in Nigeria,” he said.
On the successes recorded by the Board on its war against malpractice and the sanctity of its examination, the Minister said: “We’re going to get WAEC and NECO by November of this year to also start their objective exams in CBT mode. By the 2026 exams, which will come up in May/June, both the objective and the essay parts will be conducted in CBT mode. That is how we can eliminate exam malpractice.
“We want our children to study and not be perfecting ways of cheating. “When some students cheat during the exams, it disincentivizes the hardworking ones.
“If you’re working hard for an exam and you see that people are getting leaked questions, you might also become bad and that’s what we want to eliminate completely.”
The Minister also lauded the Board’s inclusive policies, openness and involvement of critical stakeholders, particularly physically-challenged candidates, towards ensuring accessibility especially through the provision of free application documents, among others.
The Minister also praised the Board’s leadership in terms of its digital transformation of examinations and leveraging technology to improve and sustain the integrity of the examination. Additionally, the Minister commended JAMB for providing full support to 501 physically-challenged candidates across 11 specialised centres across the country.