The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa: Poor JAMB Results Reflect End of Cheating Culture, Not Decline in Intelligence

 

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has described the sharp decline in performance among candidates in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) as evidence of growing success in the government’s campaign against widespread examination malpractice.

Reacting to public concerns over the fact that over 1.5 million candidates scored below 200 in this year’s UTME, Dr. Alausa explained that the results do not indicate a drop in academic capability among Nigerian students. Instead, he argued, the poor showing reveals the extent to which cheating has been curtailed—particularly due to the enhanced integrity of the examination process managed by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

“This is not about students getting worse. What you’re seeing is an honest reflection of what happens when an examination is conducted the right way,” he said during a recent appearance on Channels Television. “Cheating has been significantly curbed, and what we’re now seeing is the true academic performance.”

JAMB's rigorous use of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) was credited for much of this newfound credibility. According to Alausa, the shift to CBT and the implementation of sophisticated anti-fraud measures have made it virtually impossible for candidates to engage in malpractices during the UTME.

“There is no room to manipulate or undermine the system anymore,” he stated. “JAMB is now almost 100% cheat-proof. It stands in stark contrast to other national exams like WAEC and NECO, where malpractice remains a systemic problem.”

Efforts are already underway to expand this success beyond JAMB. The federal government is currently rolling out an ambitious plan to overhaul the entire national examination landscape, with a timeline to fully digitize the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.

CBT migration for WAEC and NECO will begin as early as November 2025, with a complete transition expected by 2027. Other major assessments, including the examinations conducted by EMBRAS and NBTEB, will also adopt digital formats under this national reform initiative.

The Minister warned that cheating at the secondary school level is not only distorting academic performance but also enabling a culture where dishonest practices become normalized and even rewarded.

“You see students cheat their way through WAEC and NECO, and when they get to JAMB, they crash because they can’t cheat,” he remarked. “That’s the real tragedy. Honest students are being discouraged because they see others cutting corners and succeeding. We are breeding mediocrity at the expense of hard work.”

Dr. Alausa didn’t mince words in describing the depth of the problem. He characterized the malpractice network as a full-fledged ecosystem involving not just students, but also their parents, school staff, and invigilators who either turn a blind eye or actively facilitate the misconduct.

“This isn’t about isolated incidents,” he said. “I’ve taught from primary to secondary level. I know firsthand the scale of the malpractice. It’s institutional. It’s normalized. And it’s killing the integrity of our education system.”

The Minister also emphasized that the challenge isn't rooted in the character of the students themselves. Rather, he believes Nigeria’s youth are fundamentally capable and willing to succeed but are being undermined by a corrupt environment that rewards dishonesty.

“Our young people are not inherently dishonest. Many of them are talented, full of potential, and driven. But the environment shapes behavior. If cheating is the easiest path to success, it becomes the norm. That’s what we are fighting to change,” he said.

He expressed confidence in the federal government’s ability to deliver on its reforms and maintained that technology will play a decisive role in uprooting the culture of malpractice that has gripped the education system for decades.

“There is no going back. We will be forceful and relentless in cleaning up this mess. This is about preparing our youth for a future where merit, not manipulation, determines progress,” Alausa added.

He dismissed the idea that exposing the nation’s examination system flaws on public platforms was damaging. For the Minister, transparency is the first step to reform.

“I’m not afraid to wash our dirty linen in public. That’s how you force a change. The first step to fixing a broken system is admitting it’s broken,” he asserted.

Alausa ended with a note of urgency and optimism, stressing the importance of confronting the issue head-on for the sake of national development.

“We have a massive youth population that represents our greatest asset. If we fail to equip them with integrity and skills, we risk wasting an entire generation. That’s why this battle is not just about exams—it’s about the future of Nigeria,” he concluded.

With the 2025 UTME results now serving as a wake-up call, the government appears poised to drive one of the most aggressive education reforms in decades, promising a new era where success is earned, not engineered.