Abuja: Stakeholders in the education sector have once again expressed their dissatisfaction with the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) following the unexpected revision of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the stakeholders, during interviews in Abuja, called for independent investigations into the matter and a comprehensive overhaul of WAEC’s management. They argue that such inconsistencies in a crucial examination like the WASSCE undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s academic qualifications both locally and internationally.
WAEC initially reported on July 4 that only 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates achieved credits in five subjects, including English and Mathematics. This mass failure led to widespread criticism, prompting calls for the cancellation of certain papers. WAEC later identified technical glitches and temporarily withdrew access to the results. When the results portal was reopened, the pass rate was adjusted to 62.96%.
WAEC attributed the initial discrepancies to ‘serialisation issues’ in subjects such as Mathematics, English, Biology, and Economics, which has led to significant concern among stakeholders, including candidates, parents, and teachers.
Ike Onyechere, Founder of Exam Ethics Marshall International, criticized WAEC’s credibility and described the situation as a ‘national disaster,’ insisting on urgent investigations by the Federal Ministry of Education, the Presidency, and the National Assembly. Onyechere dismissed WAEC’s explanation as ‘technical excuses’ and emphasized the need for leadership to address these issues.
Oluwaseun Omotubora, a teacher, linked the earlier mass failure to systemic examination issues and suggested that WAEC should have recalled and reviewed the affected answer sheets before releasing the results. She advocated for fresh examinations to maintain the credibility of the process.
Parents like Mrs. Ifeoluwa Atteh have also called for an independent investigation to determine the authenticity of the results, while Nathaniel Adamu pointed to low education investment as a contributing factor to the problems faced by examination bodies. Adamu emphasized the need for increased education budgets to ensure credible examinations.
Mrs. Chidinma Nwafor, a parent and teacher, noted that the public pressure on WAEC after the initial results forced the revision but questioned the trustworthiness of the revised results. Candidates shared their experiences of initial low scores in English and Mathematics being revised to credits, which, while relieving, raised concerns about the examination body’s credibility.
