The 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results have drawn widespread concern, revealing not just poor student performance but a deep-rooted crisis in Nigeria’s educational system. Out of nearly 2 million candidates who sat for the examination, only around 420,000 managed to score above the 200-mark cutoff, amounting to a mere 22 percent success rate.
Although the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, claimed the results affirm the government’s crackdown on examination fraud and improved integrity in testing, the dismal pass rate paints a far more troubling picture. It reveals an education sector riddled with failure across the board—from funding shortfalls to outdated teaching methods and decaying infrastructure.
End of Exam Fraud Reveals Harsh Truths
The drastic reduction in cheating, once common through “special centres” and mass collusion, has unveiled the harsh reality: most Nigerian students are ill-prepared for higher education. Previously, examination malpractice disguised the real academic deficiencies among students. Now, with stricter monitoring and a fortified UTME system, what remains is a glaring academic void.
Instead of celebrating the fading of mass cheating, the focus has shifted to what the results truly signify—a collapse in teaching quality, learning conditions, and the entire framework meant to prepare students for tertiary education.
Broken Foundations: Poor Infrastructure and Teacher Quality
The roots of this problem lie in decades of neglect and mismanagement. Schools at every level suffer from severe underfunding, with many lacking even the most basic amenities. In countless rural communities, children still learn under trees or in dilapidated structures, while those in urban areas often pay exorbitant fees for underwhelming academic outcomes.
Digital learning tools, which should be mainstream in today’s world, remain scarce, and textbooks are either outdated or unavailable. This lack of access contributes to the chronic underperformance seen in national exams. Students cannot develop the digital literacy, problem-solving ability, or critical thinking skills needed to succeed in modern education or the global workforce.
At the core of this decay lies the teaching profession. Most schools operate with far fewer teachers than recommended. The National Policy on Education prescribes a maximum student-to-teacher ratio of 1:25 in pre-primary, 1:35 in primary, and 1:40 in secondary school. However, in reality, especially in public schools, class sizes frequently exceed 80 pupils per teacher. This severely hinders effective instruction and individualized attention.
Adding to the problem, many of the teachers themselves are ill-equipped. Teaching colleges in Nigeria often admit students with the lowest UTME scores—those who failed to gain admission into more competitive courses. These future teachers graduate with little enthusiasm for the profession, minimal training, and few prospects for career advancement or support. As a result, many abandon teaching altogether in search of better-paying opportunities elsewhere.
Students Bear the Brunt of Systemic Failure
Nigerian students are the ultimate victims of this broken system. They are being pushed through an education pipeline that offers little real learning. Many graduate from secondary school with no mastery of core subjects like English, Mathematics, or Science. Others lack the skills to take computer-based exams—an alarming fact in today’s tech-driven world.
This explains why tertiary institutions continue to rely on post-UTME exams. Universities have repeatedly raised concerns about the poor academic preparedness of students admitted solely based on UTME scores. The challenge is not just what students know, but what they were never taught.
National Shame: 18 Million Out-of-School Children
As if the poor exam results were not enough, Nigeria also holds the unenviable position of having the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. The official figure stands at 18.3 million—representing 22 percent of the global total. This staggering number reflects both the inaccessibility of education for many and the lack of motivation to remain in school due to poor learning conditions and outcomes.
The neglect is systemic. Government teachers are known to prioritize side jobs over classroom duties. Inadequate salaries, poor working conditions, and lack of career support have eroded motivation. Meanwhile, fraudulent examination practices, once rampant, helped mask these inefficiencies—until now.
Reforms Must Go Beyond Funding
While increased funding for education is critical, it is far from a silver bullet. What Nigeria needs is a full-scale overhaul of its education sector—one that places qualified, passionate, and well-supported teachers at its center.
Countries like Finland, Germany, South Korea, and China offer models worth emulating. In Finland and Germany, teachers are required to hold at least a master’s degree. Teaching is seen as a prestigious and intellectually demanding profession. South Korea and China, too, invest heavily in teacher training and compensation, producing some of the highest-achieving students globally.
In Nigeria, by contrast, mediocrity has become the norm. The teaching profession lacks both prestige and support, making it difficult to attract top talent. If this trend continues, the country risks producing future generations unable to compete in the global knowledge economy.
Digital Learning Must Be the Norm
The way forward must include widespread adoption of digital learning. This means equipping classrooms with internet access, interactive software, and up-to-date devices—from remote local government schools to elite urban institutions. Students must be taught not just to memorize but to think critically, solve problems, and innovate.
The curriculum must also undergo a complete redesign. Subjects should reflect real-world relevance, focusing on entrepreneurship, computer literacy, climate awareness, and vocational training alongside traditional academics. Education should prepare students for life, not just for exams.
End the Culture of Mediocrity
Nigeria must stop celebrating mediocrity in education and start demanding excellence. Entrance into teaching colleges should be competitive. In-service training must be consistent, rigorous, and monitored for impact. Government should provide incentives to retain the best educators and implement evaluation systems that reward merit and integrity.
Moreover, policymakers who send their children abroad for quality education must be held accountable. If they trust foreign systems with their own families, they must be compelled to replicate those systems at home. It is not enough to lament the failures while continuing to underinvest in solutions.
A National Emergency, Not Just a Statistic
The 2025 UTME results are not just an educational crisis—they represent a national emergency. They expose the consequences of decades of indifference and poor leadership. The time for cosmetic reforms has passed.
What Nigeria needs now is a coordinated, well-funded, and far-reaching transformation of its education system. Only then can it prepare its youth for a future that demands excellence, innovation, and adaptability.
Until that happens, more dismal UTME results should be expected—not as anomalies, but as inevitable outcomes of a system long overdue for radical change.
