When 17-year-old Deborah Ajayi scored 187 in the 2025 UTME**, it wasn’t her tears that told the story—it was her silence. Despite stellar grades in her WASSCE, her dream of studying engineering crumbled before her eyes. Not because she wasn’t ready, but because Nigeria’s education system wasn’t built to carry her dream.
She is one of nearly two million students who took the UTME this year. Of those, only 22.13% scored 200 or above. The remaining 1.5 million are left with nothing but shattered hopes.
The root of the crisis lies in a misaligned curriculum. While WASSCE focuses on structured basics, UTME tests abstract reasoning**, data analysis, and physics topics well beyond what’s taught in most public classrooms. This disconnect leaves students walking into exams unprepared—not because they didn’t study, but because they weren’t taught what mattered.
“In any functional education system, exams test knowledge—not endurance,” the article laments. In Nigeria, students are set up to survive a system, not thrive in it.
A Two-Tiered Trap Masquerading as Meritocracy
Public schools operate with outdated syllabuses, underpaid teachers, and decaying infrastructure. Meanwhile, wealthier students benefit from mock exams, prep centers, and digital tools. What should be a level playing field has becom84me an uneven battlefield.
Private school students are taught to jump hurdles. Public school students are asked to fly0
JAMB’s decision to start exams at dawn introduces logistical nightmares—from security issues to transportation chaos. These pressures further compromise student performance and add mental strain that no child should bear on exam day.
There are calls to reduce the UTME cut-off mark further, but doing so would mask the problem, not solve it. The issue isn’t that students aren’t capable—it’s that the ladder to success has been pulled away.
A Call for Urgent Reform
To restore credibility and hope in Nigerian education, the government must:
- Harmonise WASSCE and JAMB curricula
- Equip teachers with training and tools
- Rebuild infrastructure and integrate digital learning
- End the neglect and politicisation of education
This is not just about test scores. It’s about the millions of young Nigerians whose futures are quietly being erased. Until the system is reformed, Nigeria risks breeding a generation punished for its potential.
