By Mahdi Waziri Isa
Nigeria’s education system has suffered another major setback as newly released West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results show only 38.32% of candidates passed five key subjects – the worst performance in five years.
At a press briefing in Lagos, WAEC’s Nigeria Head Amos Dangut revealed the examination body recorded a catastrophic decline in performance, with this year’s pass rate plunging to 38.32% compared to 72.12% in 2023. The results also showed mass malpractice cases, with 192,089 candidates (9.75%) having their results withheld over cheating allegations.
A gender breakdown of the results showed 992,526 female candidates (50.4%) sat for the exams compared to 976,787 males (49.6%). WAEC also reported that 12,178 candidates with special needs received appropriate accommodations during the examinations.
“This represents the lowest performance we’ve recorded since 2019,” Dangut admitted, noting the exam was administered across four West African countries using Nigeria’s curriculum.
Education experts attribute the dismal results to multiple challenges facing the sector. Many schools struggled with the inconsistent implementation of either Computer-Based or Paper-Based testing formats during the examinations. Persistent disruptions to academic calendars across the country have also led to significant learning loss affecting students’ preparation. Additionally, numerous schools continue to grapple with severe shortages of qualified teachers and basic learning materials.
With only 77% of results fully processed, WAEC has promised to clear the backlog “within days.” However, education stakeholders warn these alarming results demand immediate government intervention to prevent further deterioration of education standards.
Ahmed Isa Yahya, an educationist lamented: “When over 60% of our children can’t pass basic exams, we’re looking at a national emergency that threatens Nigeria’s future workforce.”