UTME Resit: Frustration, Outrage as Candidates in Imo Miss Exam over JAMB's Sudden Centre Change

• Several candidates rescheduled to resit their Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Imo were left confused and angry after the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) changed their centres a few hours before the exam
• An angry parent and a JAMB candidate have expressed their displeasure over the confusing development
• In an exclusive chat with Legit.ng, Mr Val Dike, an English tutor at Christian International High School, Owerri, weighed in on the implications of the 2025 UTME results on teaching strategies and curriculum planning going forward

A last-minute venue change, reportedly on the part of JAMB, has caused many candidates in Imo State to miss their UTME resit, which had been rescheduled for Friday, May 16.

Legit.ng earlier reported that JAMB Registrar Professor Ishaq Oloyede had tearfully apologised and admitted that there were errors in the UTME results it released in April, and consequently rescheduled a resit for candidates in Lagos and the five South East states.

According to a report by Vanguard, JAMB first gave a 24-hour notice for the resit exam, but changed the centres of some candidates just before it began.

Parent whose son missed UTME resit speaks

Speaking with Vanguard, Mr Nwachukwu, a parent of one of the Imo candidates who missed his UTME resit, said that JAMB sent his son a slip on Thursday, 15th May, 2025, stating that the exam would take place on Friday, 16th May.

The message also indicated that the exam was scheduled to start by 6:30 am and his son's centre was at the Federal University of Technology Owerri.

Nwachukwu, displeased by the short notice, narrated that he had made a special arrangement for a vehicle to take his son to FUTO ahead of time.

Quite to his bewilderment, his son called minutes after he was dropped at FUTO to inform him that he had just found out that the examination centre had been moved to Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri.

His son got to the new centre and was told the exam was over. The angry man wondered why the exam would be changed within 24 hours. In his words:

“We left the house at 5:00 am in order to catch up with the exam at FUTO. The driver insisted I would pay ₦10,000 because of the takeoff time.

“We arrived at FUTO at 6:11 am, dropped my son and left. At 8:35 am, my son called to inform me that they just realised the exam had been moved to Alvan Ikoku University of Education.

“My son and his colleagues raced to Alvan Ikoku University, only to be told the 6:00 AM exam was over.

“It was at this point they noticed JAMB sent a message hours before the commencement of the exam that the venue had been changed to Alvan Ikoku University.

“According to my son, the coordinators promised to send a message to the board’s headquarters to notify them of the situation.

“My son returned from his school in Rivers State for this exam. I know how much I have spent; I feel like cursing those who have done this.

“Why should somebody give 24-hour notice for an exam? Why should the centre be changed within 24 hours?”

Female UTME resit candidate speaks

A female candidate, who identified herself as Chiamaka, said she felt frustrated.

“I don’t really know what to say; I just feel frustrated.”

Teacher shares implications of UTME results on future teaching strategies

Speaking exclusively with Legit.ng, Mr Val Dike, an English tutor at Christian International High School, Owerri, shared his thoughts on the implications that the 2025 UTME results has on teaching strategies and curriculum planning going forward. In his words:

"Teaching strategies and curriculum planning should encompass in-depth teacher training in order to equip educators to deliver their content effectively.

"In addition, improvements should be made in teaching which would account for critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical skills.

"Furthermore, integration of digital literacy into the curriculum is vital in order to equip candidates with the needed skills for the digital world.

"In the same manner, regularise continuous assessment in order to identify and address students' strengths and weaknesses, as well as check assessment methods that focus on assessing students' skills and competencies."

Boy who resat UTME shares worrying observation

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a JAMB candidate, one of those who resat the UTME, had shared a troubling observation about the exam questions he saw.

The boy informed netizens on TikTok that he noticed the questions in the first UTME were better than the ones he encountered during the resit.

Resigning to fate, he noted that the government knows what they are doing. Mixed reactions have trailed the JAMB candidate's observation.

Source: Legit.ng