The 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results have revealed that over 500,000 Nigerian students failed to pass the core subjects of English Language and Mathematics.
This alarming statistic was disclosed by Amos Dangut, the Head of the Nigeria Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), who expressed concern about the declining performance in these crucial subjects.
Out of the 1.8 million students who sat for the examination, a total of 503,275 candidates were unable to secure a passing grade in both English and Mathematics. Dangut highlighted this as a significant issue, noting that it reflects broader challenges in the education system.
“The results show a concerning trend of poor performance in core subjects,” Dangut stated.
Despite the overall disappointing performance, there were some positive outcomes. According to Dangut, 1,301,941 candidates, or 72.12% of those who took the exam, obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. However, this represents a 7.69% decline from the previous year, where 79.81% of candidates achieved similar results.
Dangut provided further analysis, indicating that of the 1,805,216 students who sat for the exam, 1,332,089 candidates (73.79%) earned credit and above in at least five subjects, with or without English and Mathematics.
“A total of 1,301,941 candidates, representing 72.12%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Of this number, 628,820 were male candidates, while 673,121 were female candidates,” he explained.
The decline in performance has raised serious concerns among educators and policymakers about the quality of education in Nigeria and the preparedness of students for further studies. The failure of such a large number of students in these essential subjects could have significant implications for their future educational and career prospects.
In addition to the poor performance, the WASSCE results also revealed issues of examination malpractice. WAEC announced that it had withheld the results of 215,267 candidates, representing 11.92% of the total, due to various reported cases of malpractice. The examination body made this announcement on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, advising candidates to visit their website to check their results.
“The West African Examinations Council is pleased to inform candidates who sat WASSCE for School Candidates, 2024, that the result has officially been released today, Monday, August 12, 2024,” WAEC stated.