The poor performance of candidates in this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) did not only spark national outrage, it got many stakeholders and concerned individuals fuming in an indictment on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Observers hinged the 38 percent pass rate on the challenges encountered during the examination, stressing that the papers should have been cancelled outright in what they described as a national embarrassment. On the flip side, some reckon that a host of factors were responsible for what many have termed ‘mass failure’. Nevertheless, to avoid a repeat, stakeholders noted that the entire system requires intervention at the level of personnel, infrastructure, welfare, facilities and leadership, with a proper reorientation for young people who believe ‘education is scam’, DAMOLA KOLA-DARE and VICTORIA AMADI report
When the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced on Monday, August 4, that 38 percent of candidates obtained credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, it sparked national outrage.
The analysis of the data means of the 1,969,313 candidates who wrote the examination indicates that only 754,545 candidates obtained credits in a minimum of five subjects, English and Mathematics inclusive.
Why there is a decline in performance?
WAEC’s Head of Nigeria Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, noted that the results represented a 33.8 percent decrease in performance when compared with last year’s results.
“A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for School 2024 and 2025, reveal that in this year’s (2025) WASSCE, there is 33.8% decrease in performance – that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 72.12%,” he said.
While giving reasons for the decline in performance, Dangut said the council had deployed strict measures against perennial malpractice, stressing that a newly- introduced feature “serialisation” meant that each candidate was assigned a specific paper type in objective aspect of the questions papers in Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics, making collusion and other forms of examination malpractice extremely difficult to perpetrate.
He also referred to Computer Based Test (CBT) system as a factor in the performance.
The WAEC chief disclosed that despite advising candidates to work independently, they still recorded cases of candidates assigned different question papers who copied one another and had the same answers in virtually all questions.
He noted that the effect of this activity was evident in the overall performance of candidates in the said papers, adding that performance in the essay papers remained comparable to those of the previous years.
Dangut noted that the objective papers recorded a slight, but noticeable decline, which he said “reflects the success of the serialisation strategy in reducing opportunities for examination malpractice and underscores the need for candidates to rely on genuine individual preparation before writing any examination.”
Comparing previous years
Statistics reveal that in the last decade, performance had been inconsistent from 2015 till date.
In 2015, it recorded a low pass rate of 38.68 percent. It was 52.97 percent in 2016; 59.22 percent in 2017, 48.15 percent in 2018; 64.18 percent in 2019.
In 2020, the examination body announced that 1,003,668 candidates, representing 65.24 per cent out of 1,601,047 who sat for the exams, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
The following year, 2021, 81.7 percent pass rate was recorded, while it reduced to 76.36 percent in 2022.
In 2023, the examination body recorded 79.81 percent pass rate, including those who made English and Mathematics papers while the pass rate reduced to 72.12 in 2024.
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Criticisms trail logistics problem during conduct
Many have bemoaned the logistical problems that marred the conduct of English Language paper on May 28 in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Taraba, where candidates, wrote exams with flashlights and candlelight late in the night.
The council blamed the delay on the leakage of question papers and an attempt to protect the integrity of the examination. This led to calls to cancel the examination outright.
A candidate, Kamsiyochukwu Destiny Igwe, expressed sadness on his inability to attain his expectation towards his result owing to some challenges he encountered during the examination.
“I feel somehow disappointed because I didn’t reach the goal or target I gave myself. I encountered some challenges like late night exams. My school passed by 75%, while 25% failed,” he said.
Halting a repeat of poor performance
Nevertheless, amid the blame-game and outrage, observers highlight measures to enhance performance index.
Vice Chancellor, African School of Economics, Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, attributed the prevalent failure among pupils nowadays to five major factors: social, economic, systemic, technological and personal.
He noted that that many young Nigerians, including pupils, are distracted by technology these days. He said quality time that should otherwise be spent on study is spent on social media or on devices with nothing to show for it.
Adedimeji described it as “technoference”. He said it is the interference of technology with lives to the extent that people, especially pupils, don’t concentrate much again on their primary assignments.
“Ultimately, there are personal factors, which reflect students’ attitudes to learning. Many young ones now read to pass, not to learn. Many of them appear to be forced to learn, unlike the time when students genuinely wanted to learn.
“Then, the entire system requires intervention at the level of personnel, infrastructure, welfare, facilities and leadership. Whatever makes young people say education is a scam requires a holistic reappraisal as education is the foundation of the future. It is assuring that the Federal Ministry of Education is now addressing issues bordering on the system now and I believe the efforts in that direction will be bearing fruit in due course,” he said.
Head of School, Mare Schools, Alapere Ketu, Mr. Onanuga Olubayo, said looking back at the conduct of the examination, a mass failure of candidates was inevitable.
He said: “It pops at us a replica of and reminds all of what was experienced with the 2025 JAMB examination and in all sincerity, just like the 2025 JAMB examination, this year’s WAEC results should be declared null and possibly retaken. How could any reasonable person justify a situation whereby examination papers arrived so late to the examination centres and candidates were forced to write papers so late into the night and deploy torchlights to write examinations and in a sane and civilised clime.”
On likely solutions to forestall a recurrence, he said: “There should be meaningful/objective government intervention in education; massive drive in restoring the society’s hope in education and changing its attitude towards education.
“Stakeholders should be engaged in defining objectives, planning, budgeting, execution and evaluation, while the public, society and private sector should be engaged to drive change from the grassroots.”
National President of Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED) Mr. Emmanuel Orji said with less than 50 percent achieving the desired result, the current education approach may be flawed. He sought a review and adjustment of the curriculum design, delivery models and assessment methods.
According to him, the decline in performance cannot be attributed solely to pupils’ inadequate preparation or poor teaching methods. He called for the examination of the broader systemic issues, while considering fresh perspectives.
He stressed the need to review the curriculum to make it relevant, inclusive, and aligned with societal needs.
“We should enhance assessment methods by exploring alternative evaluation methods that prioritise critical-thinking and creativity. There should be increased access to resources, by providing sufficient study materials, technology, and infrastructure to support learning,” he said.
President of the Coalition of Non-State School in Nigeria, Dr. Saleh Adamu Kwaru, said it is too early to draw firm conclusions on the performance level. He underscored the need to reassess teaching methods, strengthen instruction with experienced, qualified teachers and reinforce the overall learning process.
“Private school operators and other stakeholders have reason to be concerned. Since exam results closely mirror teaching quality, all stakeholders should review these findings and take appropriate action,” he said.
The Director of Platform Schools, Lagos, Dr. Adebola Obe, said the results highlight the need for a renewed emphasis on academic rigour and diligence. He said pupils no longer approach WAEC examinations with the same level of trepidation and dedication that was once characteristic of the educational system.
He added that the fear of not meeting expectations and the desire to excel, which once drove students to burn the midnight oil, seem to have waned. Obe stressed that it is essential to instill a sense of purpose and dedication in learners.
“WAEC and the government should promote a culture that values academic achievement and encourages students to strive for excellence. By working together, we can create an education system that produces students with a solid foundation in academics, preparing them for success in higher education and beyond. This would not only improve the overall quality of education but also enhance the competitiveness of Nigerian graduates in the global job market,” he said.
National President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) Nigeria Chief ‘Yomi Otubela, FCMA, described the result as one that presents a mixed outcome; one that invites both cautious optimism and sober reflection. He, however, commended the efforts of some candidates who displayed resilience and diligence, particularly in the face of the numerous challenges besetting our education system. Otubela believes the performance of candidates should be viewed as a mirror reflecting the broader state of the educational ecosystem.
“While the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) deserves commendation for maintaining the integrity of the examination process, particularly with the rollout of stricter anti-malpractice measures; there is still room for improvement. In particular, we must ensure that assessment models are aligned with 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, digital literacy, and creativity,” he said.
NAPPS Nigeria boss urged the government to invest in teachers’ training, review the curriculum and practical implementation, invest in infrastructure and digital access and psycho-social and emotional support for learners.
Founder/CEO, IA-Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo, noted that the students’ performance threatens the academic progression and future prospects of millions of Nigerian youths. It also exposes persistent systemic challenges.
Adeagbo cited shortage of qualified teachers in core subjects, poor learning environments, with reports of students writing exams under candlelight due to power outages, widespread examination malpractice, fueled by inadequate preparation and weak oversight and administrative delays and technical bottlenecks affecting result processing, as some of the causes of the low performance.
Not exempting students, he, therefore, advised students to focus on their studies and minimise distractions from social media, mobile phones and video games.
He, however, called on the federal and state governments to take urgent action by investing in the recruitment, training and motivation of qualified teachers, especially in core subjects, improve examination infrastructure to ensure conducive and reliable testing environments, including consistent power supply and robust digital systems, provide remedial learning programmes and resit opportunities for students who failed core subjects like English and Mathematics and expand support for disadvantaged learners through scholarships, targeted academic interventions, and access to vocational and digital skills training.
“The 2025 WAEC results should serve as a national wake-up call. The future of our children—and Nigeria’s human capital—depends on urgent, collective and sustained action,” he noted.
