Debate: JAMB Should Be Scrapped (7 Winning Points for the Motion)
Debate: JAMB Should Be Scrapped (7 Winning Points for the Motion)
Good day, students!
Looking for the winning points for your next debate? You’ve come to the right place. If you are on the team supporting the motion that the “Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) should be scrapped,” this template is for you.
This is a very common topic, and the big question is: should JAMB be scrapped?
For this debate, “JAMB” refers to the board and its main exam, the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). “Scrapping” means removing it completely as a requirement for students to get into university.
Disclaimer: This article is a template to help you prepare for your educational debate. We are just providing the arguments for this one side of the motion. The opposing side also has valid points, and this post is not meant to disrespect any government institution.
Let’s get straight to the arguments.
Winning Debate Points on Why JAMB Should Be Scrapped
1. The Redundancy of Post-UTME Exams
Good day, Mr. Chairman, Panel of Judges, and my fellow students.
My first and most important point is that JAMB is a redundant examination.
Why do I say this? It’s simple. After a student writes JAMB and gets a score, what happens next? That student must still go and write another exam called the Post-UTME, organized by the university itself.
Think about it. This is a duplication of exams.
If universities trusted the JAMB score, they would not need to spend their own time, money, and resources to test students again. The very existence of Post-UTME is a vote of no confidence in JAMB. It proves that the universities believe JAMB is not enough to truly test a student’s ability.
Therefore, we are forcing students to sit for two different exams that claim to do the same job. One of them is not necessary. Since the university will always want to screen its own students, it is JAMB that has become redundant and should be removed.
2. The Unnecessary Financial Burden on Parents
My second point is about the serious financial burden on parents.
Let’s be honest, life in Nigeria is not easy. Many parents are struggling to pay school fees, buy books, and just provide food.
Now, look at the cost. A parent has to pay for WAEC registration. Then they pay for NECO registration. Then they must buy the cost of JAMB forms. After that, they are not done. They must pay again for the Post-UTME form for every university the child applies to.
This is not fair.
This system forces a family to pay for the same thing three or four times. This is a huge waste of money that could be used for that child’s school fees, accommodation, or textbooks. Removing JAMB cuts this unnecessary cost and gives financial relief to millions of Nigerian families.
3. O’Level Results (WAEC/NECO) Are Sufficient
To my third point. Our O’Level results are, and should be, enough.
A student spends six years in secondary school. They are tested in their final year by official bodies like the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). These exams test six years of learning across many subjects.
How can a one-day, multiple-choice JAMB exam be more important than six years of consistent learning and a comprehensive final exam? It doesn’t make sense.
The sufficiency of O’level results is already proven. Before JAMB, universities used WAEC results and their own entrance exams to admit students, and they produced excellent graduates. We can return to that system. A student with a good WAEC or NECO result has already proven they are smart enough for university. We don’t need another test to prove it again.
4. It Undermines University Autonomy
My fourth point is about university autonomy.
“Autonomy” means the freedom of a university to govern itself and make its own decisions. Every university should have the right to decide who they want to admit based on their own standards.
But JAMB takes this power away from them.
JAMB acts as a middle-man that forces all universities—Federal, State, and Private—into one single box. A university should be free to innovate and create its own admission process. Maybe they want to focus more on WAEC grades. Maybe they want to conduct an interview.
By forcing them all to use JAMB, the government is undermining their independence. As reported by news outlets like TheCable, in articles discussing the topic, many stakeholders believe universities should have more control over their admissions. Scrapping JAMB restores this autonomy and allows our universities to function properly, just as they do in many other countries.
5. The Constant Logistical and Technical Failures
Let’s talk about the exam itself. Every single year, we hear stories of logistical challenges.
We hear about CBT centres where the computers suddenly shut down. We hear about networks failing in the middle of the exam. We hear about students being thumb-printed, only for the system to fail to recognise them.
What about the stress of travelling? Students are often posted to exam centres in towns far from their homes, sometimes in unsafe areas. They have to travel in the early morning, facing security risks, just for a two-hour exam.
If a system cannot work perfectly after all these years, then the system is broken. We cannot base a student’s entire future on a technical process that fails so often.
6. The High Emotional Stress on Students
My sixth point is about the human cost: the emotional stress on students.
We must ask ourselves: why are we putting our teenagers through so many exams in one year?
A 16 or 17-year-old student has to prepare for their Mock exams. Then they prepare for WAEC. Then they prepare for NECO. Then they must immediately start preparing for JAMB. And after all that, they prepare for Post-UTME.
This is too much.
This pressure leads to anxiety, depression, and complete burnout before they even step foot in a university. It turns learning into a desperate gamble. The question should JAMB be scrapped is also a question about our children’s mental health. We need a simpler, kinder, and more focused system.
7. Issues of Exam Malpractice
Finally, we cannot ignore the problem of exam malpractice.
Despite JAMB’s best efforts with CBTs and biometrics, the system is still not perfect. We all hear the stories about “special centres.” We hear about “expo” and how some people find ways to cheat the system.
When this happens, it cheats the honest students who studied hard. A student who worked all night can score 220, while someone who paid money for malpractice gets 280 and takes their spot.
If the exam’s integrity can be compromised, then it is not a fair standard for admission. Using O’Level results and a university’s own screening is a much more transparent and harder-to-cheat system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s the strongest argument against scrapping JAMB?
The main argument for keeping JAMB is that it provides a single, uniform standard. The idea is that it stops universities from practicing favouritism or admitting only students from their own state (nepotism). It tries to give everyone from every part of Nigeria the same “level playing field.”
If JAMB is scrapped, what is the alternative?
The alternative is simple and already in use. Universities would use a combination of two things:
- A student’s O’Level results (WAEC/NECO).
- The university’s own Post-UTME screening exam.
This system is more focused. The university gets to test the students directly on the subjects they need, and a student’s O’Level result proves their performance over time.
How do I conclude this debate speech?
A great conclusion is to summarize your top 3 points. For example: “In conclusion, Honourable Judges, it is clear that JAMB is a redundant examination that creates an unfair financial burden on parents and undermines university autonomy. Let us trust our O’Level results and our universities to choose the best. I urge you to support the motion that JAMB should be scrapped.”
Conclusion / Summary
As you can see, the arguments for scrapping JAMB are very strong. It all comes down to removing a redundant examination, reducing the financial burden on parents, and giving students a simpler, less stressful path to get into school.
Disclaimer (Again): Remember, this is for educational debate purposes only! JAMB is a government body with a specific mandate. These points are simply one side of an academic argument.
What do you think? Should JAMB be scrapped or should it be reformed? Drop your opinions in the comments section below!
Also, feel free to share this post with your coursemates or those in your debate team!
