Students, parents, teachers and many other stakeholders were stunned at the percentage of candidates who obtained credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, in the recent West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE), conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). Many have called for an independent audit of the process, alleging a variety of challenges.
While acknowledging the significant drop in the percentage of successful candidates, the examination body defends the integrity of its examination process.
According to WAEC’s Head of Nigeria Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, ‘A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for School 2024 and 2025, reveal that in this year’s (2026) 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%.’
Dangut emphasised that the council had introduced stricter measures against perennial examination malpractice, stressing that it recently introduced a feature known as ‘serialisation’ in Mathematics, English Language, Biology and Economics, to make collusion among candidates difficult.
Dangut also said the use of Computer-Based Test (CBT) may have contributed to the significant failures. While we submit to the independence of the examination body, it is important that they listen to the calls by stakeholders to thoroughly examine whether something went wrong along the line.
This paper’s analysis of the result showed that out of the 1,969,313 candidates who wrote the examination, in 2026, only 754,545 candidates obtained credits in a minimum of five subjects, including English and Mathematics.
That calls for concern by WAEC, instead of dismissing the outcome of the examination as merely a result of its new anti-cheating mechanisms. To argue in that direction may put a question mark on the integrity of its previous results before the introduction of the serialisation policy.
Following the release of the results, some schools have complained that there were mass failures in other subjects like civic education, government, amongst other subjects, which were not named by WAEC as among the subjects selected for the serialisation project.
That raises a question mark about what actually caused the massive 33.8 decrease in performance in this year’s WASSCE performance.
There are also claims of technical glitches which WAEC has denied. But a glaring challenge, as reported by newspapers, was the late arrival of English Language paper on May 28, in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, and Taraba states, resulting in some candidates allegedly subjected to writing the examination with the aid of lanterns, candles and torch lights. The council had attributed the delay to leakage of the paper, and the effort to protect the integrity of the examination papers.
One complainant called for the cancellation of the examination, which may be an extreme measure. But some observers have proffered potential reasons for the dip in the performance of candidates, and stakeholders should examine whether there is merit in the claims.
The Vice-Chancellor, African School of Economics, Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, attributed the prevalent failure among pupils to five major factors, which he listed as social, economic, systemic, technological and personal. He said young people spend so much time on social media which he called ‘technoference’, instead of on their studies.
We note that some countries have begun to examine the impact of social media on children; perhaps Nigeria should follow in that direction.
Again, the National President of Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), Mr. Emmanuel Orji, said the current education methods may be flawed. He advocated for a review and adjustment of the curriculum, delivery models and assessment methods. He said the decline in performance should not be attributed solely to pupils’ inadequate preparation or poor teaching methods.
He called for a review of the curriculum to make it relevant, inclusive, and aligned with societal needs. In his words: ‘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.’
Again, perhaps it is time for stakeholders to review the nation’s education methods. Of note, while there have been attempts to introduce more practical teaching methods and aids in the curricula, the examination methods seem to remain the same. And the massive infusion of CBT may have conversely reduced the examination of candidates through practical text.
While one advantage may not necessarily be superior to the other, in such circumstance the students who have the innate ability to memorise subjects may have advantage over those with hands-on skills.
Stakeholders should also be interested in the quality of teachers as well as their welfare. The ministries of education at the federal and state levels must unite to examine the quality of the teachers that impact the knowledge that WAEC and other examination bodies test.
A few years ago, when a state in the north-west part of the country tested the quality of teachers in public schools, the result was scandalous. In fact, some of the teachers were as uneducated as the pupils they were recruited to teach.
The challenges in the private schools are even worse. While the quality of teachers in majority of the private schools is low, there is the double challenge of very poor remuneration. Most private schools pay less than half of the national minimum wage, yet they charge exorbitant fees from their pupils. Of course, teachers who are poorly paid will have very low morale to deliver quality education. We urge governments, especially at the state level, to ensure maintenance of standards across board.
While bemoaning the poor WASSEC results this year, a statistical analysis of the results in the past decade shows that it has been a topsy-turvy. In 2015, those who obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics was 38.68 percent, 52.97 percent in 2016; 59.22 percent in 2017, 48.15 percent in 2018; and 64.18 percent in 2019.
It moved slightly to 65.24 percent in 2020, ramped up to 81.7 percent in 2021, while it reduced to 76.36 percent in 2022. In 2023, the examination body recorded 79.81 percent pass rate, and it reduced to 72.12 in 2024.
The differences in the pass rate deserve the attention of all stakeholders, including the examination body. It is easier to wave off the concerns expressed about the 2026 WASSCE results, but that would be the wrong approach to a development which should be a cause for concern.
While we urge WAEC to engage in internal audit of its examination processes, other stakeholders should examine whether the challenges are lurking elsewhere.
Perhaps we should share the advice of the Director of Platform Schools, Lagos, Dr. Adebola Obe, who said: ‘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’.