A university lecturer and educationist, Surveyor Oyedapo Ipadeola, has blamed the Nigerian government for the poor performance recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), urging the authorities to stop paying lip service to the education sector.
The results, released on Monday by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), revealed that only 22.13% of the 1,955,069 candidates who sat for the examination scored 200 and above—a total of 432,829 candidates.
Describing the outcome as a “disaster,” Ipadeola, a lecturer at the University of Ilorin, called for the declaration of a state of emergency in the education sector. Speaking with Journalists in Ilorin, he emphasized the need for the government to prioritize teacher training, curriculum reform, and educational funding.
“The government must invest seriously in education and take the welfare of teachers at all levels seriously,” he said. “There is a need to regulate the activities of private institutions—primary, secondary, and tertiary—so we can ensure a standard and uniform education system.”
He added that sustainable investment in basic education and the professional development of teachers was critical to achieving quality learning outcomes.
“These poor results point to urgent learning gaps and systemic underinvestment. There is a dire need for investment in teacher training, curriculum review, and equitable access to learning materials,” he stated.
Ipadeola also advised policymakers, educators, parents, and school owners to collaborate in addressing these issues from the foundational level to ensure that every Nigerian child has access to quality education and a brighter future.
“Our tertiary education already faces scrutiny internationally, and we cannot continue to lower standards in the name of inclusivity. Education must be taken seriously, as it is the bedrock of national development,” he concluded.
