Why are so many of our children performing poorly in the JAMB exams? Before pointing fingers at social media, kindly consider the following:
From my personal observations during the recently concluded JAMB, one key issue stood out — many candidates lacked basic computer skills required to take the exam. At the centre where I was posted, a good number of students simply sat in confusion when instructed to type in their registration numbers, log in, and begin the test.
When I approached some of them to understand the problem, these were some of the responses I received:
- “I don’t know how to use capital letters,” referring to the two uppercase letters in their registration numbers.
- “I made a mistake and don’t know how to delete it.”
- “I don’t know which key to press to choose an answer.”
- “I don’t know how to move to the next question.”
- “I’m confused about switching to the next subject.”
- “I don’t know how to submit or end the exam.”
- Many of them were unfamiliar with how to use a keyboard and mouse.
- Others asked, “Where can I find the calculator on the screen?”
The situation was deeply frustrating. Even when guided to click a button or press a key, many students would respond with confusion — “Sir, please where is that?” — and treat the equipment as though it might harm them.
One particular case moved me: a female candidate answered only 3 out of 180 questions. When I asked her, she insisted she had attempted them all. Upon checking her screen, I noticed she hadn’t clicked the correct answer circles (radio buttons). The three green indicators were the questions I had previously assisted her with — the rest remained red, indicating unanswered questions.
Shockingly, many students do not realise that once a question is attempted, the red colour changes to green. Some of these same students appear trendy and fashionable, yet they have little idea of what is expected of them academically.
Now imagine this level of unpreparedness replicated across all exam centres.
My honest recommendation: there is an urgent need for sensitisation and computer literacy campaigns across all schools, particularly in rural areas where students have little or no access to computers. Even those in urban areas require proper training.
In my experience, only about 10% of students in each exam session knew what to do and managed to submit their work on time. A majority were logged out automatically with many questions left unanswered. Some even attempted to submit less than one hour into the exam due to frustration or confusion.
In light of these realities, it is difficult to question the authenticity of the recently released JAMB results. The mass failure is not exaggerated.
Let us support our children better. Buying expensive phones and allowing endless time on social media is not enough. Let us find out how prepared they truly are for these important examinations.
