Information Technology experts have attributed the recent technical glitch experienced during the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination to inadequate testing of the system.
The experts spoke during a television broadcast monitored on Thursday night.
The experts said that the system should have been subjected to rigorous testing, which included regression testing, to ensure it could handle the high volume of users.
The body which runs Nigeria’s university entrance exams had admitted to a “technical glitch” which compromised some results of this year’s tests, after nearly 80% of the students got low grades.
The low pass rate had sparked widespread outrage, with students complaining about not being able to log in to the computers, questions not showing up and power cuts making it impossible to take the examinations.
The President, Mr Bimbo Abioye, Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON), said that system glitches could happen, irrespective of country.
Abioye noted that globally, big names like Microsoft, Meta among others have had their share of system glitches, as recent as 2024 and 2025.
He said that everyone was seeking perfection but anything technical could malfunction and one should not be too confident.
According to him, a whole lot can be done to minimise such possibilities and reduce the chances of error to near zero.
“Especially, when you are dealing with systems that the whole nation is relying on.
“The process has got to be very rigorous, the testing processes and the various validations before the system is rolled out.
“It is because system glitches can have significant impact just like we are seeing now,” Abioye said
The Vice-Chairman, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria, Dr Eyo Essien, said that system failure was likely due to the inability of the software to handle the surge of users.
Essien said that the software was not subjected to proper testing to see if it could work with a high volume of users.
“A system that is not tested for three million or five million concurrent users will fail if suddenly there is a surge of users.
“The solution was not properly tested, especially for regression testing, which is designed to see if the system can function correctly under high load,” he said.
He, however, encouraged proper engagement of professionals such members of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria.
The experts also called for a comprehensive evaluation of the system to determine the extent of the problem and to prevent future occurrences.
JAMB had attributed the technical glitch to a network issue, but the experts believe that the problem may be more extensive than initially thought.
The development has raised concerns about the readiness of Nigeria’s education sector for digitalisation, with many calling for more robust systems and infrastructure to support online examinations.
The technical glitch affected over 1.9 million candidates who sat for the examination, with many experiencing difficulties in accessing the platform.
NAN
