Nnenna Chukwuthe third born of her father, had a school flair, and this day, she ran out of the room to join Patrick, her elder brother, to school, but was halted by her mother, who told her that schools were not for girls.
She was confused and asked her mother to explain to her why she would not be allowed to go to school, but her mother shouted her down.
In bitterness of heart, Nnenna would cry her eyes out every day for being deprived of the opportunity to be educated simply because she was a female. This, she did for years until she got tired and forgot about going to school.
Imagine a teenage girl like Nnenna, walking into her secondary school classroom each morning with a dream that once seemed out of reach, not just to complete her education, but to excel.
Across Nigeria, more girls are now making that journey, enrolling in schools in greater numbers and increasingly standing out in the classroom. Their growing presence is telling a bigger story: one of ambition, resilience and a changing landscape for girls’ education.
According to data from the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the number of girls in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has been on the ascending order in the last five years.
In 2022, not less than 50.24 percent of females sat WASSCE; 2023 recorded 50.78 percent of females, while in 2024, 50.32 percent of candidates were females.
The number of female students registered for 2025 WASSCE increased by eight percent compared to the previous year. In 2025, 50.40 percent of females sat the examination, and in 2026, 51.12 percent of females enrolled for WASSCE.
Before then, the number of females compared to males who sat WASSCE per year was lower. In 2021, 49.71 percent sat the examination, while in 2020, it was 49.26 percent, and in 2019, 48.30 percent of females enrolled.
In 2018, females had 47.63 percent enrolment, while in 2017 and 2026, 46.27 percent and 46.53 percent of females registered for the examination, respectively.
Stakeholders believe that the steady increase in female registration for the May/June WASSCE school candidates is primarily driven by progressive gender parity policies, increased parental and societal investments in girl-child education, and a vocational shift where young men are increasingly pursuing apprenticeships and informal trades instead of formal secondary education.
Besides, statistics have also revealed that Nigerian girls have consistently outperformed their male counterparts in WASSCE for the last seven years.
According to WAEC, the female candidates outperformed the males in the May/June WASSCE from 2020 to 2026, highlighting a sustained academic edge among female students.
Amos Dangut, head of the Nigeria national office at WAEC, revealed in August that out of the 61.54 percent of candidates who obtained five credit passes, including English Language and Mathematics, 32.89 percent were female candidates, while 28.65 percent were male candidates.
In 2025, 53.05 percent of females had a five-credit pass, including English Language and Mathematics, 2024 had 51.70 percent females, while in 2023, 52.1 percent of girls obtained a five-credit pass.
2022 had 51.10 percent females, while in 2021 and 2020, 50.57 percent and 50.47 percent of females obtained credit passes, respectively.
Jessica Osuere, CEO at RubiesHub Educational Services, said the results are pointers that the growing academic confidence and performance of girls is becoming increasingly noticeable in many educational settings across Nigeria.
Gift Osikoya, a teacher, said there is a greater emphasis on girls’ education by the government and NGOs and that communities have increasingly encouraged parents to keep girls in school and complete secondary education.
‘More families now see female education as equally important as male education, especially because educated women have better employment and economic opportunities.
‘Reduction in early marriage and teenage pregnancy. Although these remain challenges, improvements in awareness and support have helped more girls remain in school,’ she said.
Besides, she said that the better results may reflect differences in study habits, school engagement, attendance and the social pressures affecting boys.
Michael Ibie, founder of Lumen, a Nigerian fintech firm, said insecurity disrupted education between 2016 and 202, particularly for girls, as the Chibok incident and subsequent attacks and abductions involving female students created fear around sending girls to school in some parts of the country.
However, he attributed the rise in female enrolment to increased sensitisation around educating the girl child, coupled with some improvement in security in affected areas.
Beyond academics, Ibie observed the issue extends beyond the classroom. ‘We should be asking whether young women are increasingly positioning themselves to take advantage of the formal economy, while young men are looking for alternative routes to income and status,’ he said.
The rise of girls in secondary education is more than a story of increasing enrolment; it is a foundation for a more educated, skilled and equitable society.
Looking ahead, the priority must shift from simply getting girls into classrooms to ensuring that they learn, thrive, complete their education and have opportunities to translate their knowledge into meaningful careers and leadership.
With sustained investment in quality education, digital skills, safe learning environments, mentorship and policies that remove barriers to girls’ education, the next generation of young women can move from participation to excellence and from the classroom to positions of influence.
The future, therefore, should not only be about more girls in school, but about more girls equipped to shape their communities, economies and the world.