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

A record number of students failed because of power cuts and technical issues.

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 ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™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

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12 minutes

Last on

Tue 20 May 2025 02:50GMT
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only

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  • Mon 19 May 2025 17:50GMT
    ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service News Internet
  • Tue 20 May 2025 02:50GMT
    ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only

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