Nigeria’s education system is facing a tough reckoning as the 2025 WASSCE results released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) reveal the worst performance in half a decade — a steep drop that has shocked parents, teachers, and education experts nationwide.
Only 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the exams secured the minimum benchmark of five credits, including English and Mathematics — a sharp fall from the 72.12% pass rate recorded in 2024.
The news was confirmed by WAEC’s Head of National Office, Mr. Amos Dangut, at a media briefing in Lagos. According to him, this year’s outcome wasn’t just disappointing — it was the direct fallout of bold new anti-malpractice measures, including the introduction of CBT (Computer-Based Testing) and question paper serialisation in key subjects like Mathematics, English, Biology, and Economics.
“We rolled out serialised questions to curb exam collusion, but sadly, some candidates still copied answers blindly — even when their questions weren’t the same,” Dangut revealed.
The introduction of CBT in selected schools caught many students and teachers off guard. Some candidates — especially in under-resourced rural schools — reportedly saw a computer for the first time on the day of the exam.
WAEC also reported that results of 192,089 candidates (about 9.75%) were withheld over exam malpractice, although this marks a slight improvement from the 11.92% recorded in 2024.
