Nigeria’s Education Sector Is In Trouble, Says JAMB Panel Chair Epelle

The president of the Special Committee connected Examination Infractions acceptable up by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Dr Jake Epelle, has said the Nigeria’s acquisition assemblage was successful trouble.

Epelle, who is besides the caput of TAF Foundation, said this erstwhile helium appeared connected Channels Television’s existent affairs programme, ‘Politics Today’ connected Monday night, wherever helium spoke connected the committee study submitted to JAMB earlier connected Monday.

The committee, successful its report, uncovered 4,251 cases of “finger blending” and 190 instances of AI-assisted impersonation done representation morphing during investigations into the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The panel, inaugurated connected August 18, 2025, was mandated to analyse the surge successful exam infractions, measure JAMB’s systems, and suggest reforms.

The committee president said, “The acquisition assemblage is successful trouble. What we saw is mind-blowing. The manipulations, the transactions, you volition spot young radical with a batch of exertion successful their hands, manipulating the system, it’s amazing.

“One of the sessions I addressed the constabulary investigating and I said, I privation to spot this idiosyncratic successful jailhouse due to the fact that it’s not a question of investigating this and past letting radical spell scot-free. A batch of CBT centres are going to beryllium unopen down, their instrumentality taken from them, but besides the owners ending up successful jail.

“JAMB has 1 of the champion technologies. I wonderment if they don’t, it would person been worse. In presumption of technological infrastructure, I person exertion experts. I person idiosyncratic who headed Microsoft successful Africa arsenic portion of my committee. The caput of my probe sub-committee is simply a cyber transgression expert, Professor Tanko, the VC of UNIJOS. So, I person experts. We interrogated, we were allowed to look astatine everything JAMB is doing.”

He blamed the concern connected the incorrect exertion of Artificial Intelligence (AI), saying, “this is the property of AI and what is going connected is that JAMB rolled retired a state-of-the-art technology. There are radical down the country and these are astute young Nigerians.

“I discovered a peculiar pupil successful aesculapian school, successful the university. Every year, helium goes to instrumentality JAMB. He does not instrumentality JAMB for himself. He takes JAMB for radical and gets paid for it. So, the strategy is robust, but determination is simply a accordant conspiracy to undermine the system.

“Remember, each exertion has its ain glitches. And so, particularly successful this country, and that’s wherefore I americium a proponent of adaptive technology. We request a exertion that is adaptive wrong our environment, that speaks to issues that we are going through. I americium visually impaired. I request a exertion that I don’t person to hide my eyes successful the strategy to beryllium capable to spot what I’m reading. We request adaptive technology.

“And these technologies that JAMB has rolled out, determination are places and times wherever quality beings, arsenic you are rolling retired the technology, determination are sleepless individuals who are uncovering ways and means of collecting that full process for their ain benefit.

“There are 192 instances of AI-assisted impersonation. So you would deliberation that these 192 radical are existent radical but they are AI assisted. They are AI assisted but projecting individuals who privation to instrumentality their spot and instrumentality the exam and get paid by the idiosyncratic that is not successful the hall. Guess what? 80% of these infractions were caused by parents.

“Parents who privation to springiness marks to their children that they don’t deserve. This is my telephone to JAMB. The clip has travel to sanction and shame due to the fact that these aforesaid parents spell connected aerial and accidental each kinds of evil against JAMB, disgrace the system, and endanger to sue. Meanwhile, by the clip they commencement interrogating, they commencement begging already. It has happened. We saw the cases,” Epelle said.

Speaking connected the mode forward, Epelle called for “detection, deployment of AI-powered biometrics, deterrence, cancellation of results of confirmed fraudulent candidates, prevention, strengthening mobile-first self-service platform. This 1 is precise important.

“Legal reforms. Amend the JAMB Act and the Examination Malpractice Act to recognise biometrics and integer fraud and supply a ineligible portion wrong JAMB. Cultural orientation. There’s a request to motorboat an integrity-first campaign. Special measures for minors, you know, those under 18.”