Newsbeat
WAEC Massive Failure: Parents, group want papers cancelled
Mass WASSCE Failure: Parents, School Owners Slam Night Exams, Demand Reforms
By Adesina Wahab
Outrage continues to trail the poor performance recorded in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with school proprietors, parents, and education stakeholders blaming the dismal results on chaotic exam conditions — particularly reports that some students wrote key papers like English Language at night, under torchlight and mosquito-ridden classrooms. In what is now being dubbed one of the worst-performing years in over a decade, only 38.32% of candidates secured credits and above in five subjects including English and Mathematics — a sharp drop from 72.12% recorded in 2024.
The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has publicly criticized the conduct of this year’s WASSCE, calling the examination process “unacceptable” and “detrimental to academic performance.”
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, NAPPS President Yomi Otubela expressed dismay over widespread reports of candidates writing exams late into the night using candles and phone torches.
He further noted that while cheating may have been curbed this year, systemic issues like poor infrastructure, inadequate teacher training, and underfunding of public schools contributed significantly to the mass failure.
On social media and advocacy platforms like the Concerned Parents and Educators (CPE) Network, parents shared disturbing testimonies, with many calling for a full cancellation and re-conduct of the English Language paper.
One parent, Adegoke Bimpe Atoke, wrote:
Another, Abiodun Adeleke, added:
“Students wrote till past 9:00pm in poorly lit, mosquito-infested classrooms. Is that what we call a standardised exam?”
Even educators are questioning the process. Adebayo Ifeoluwa, a secondary school teacher in Lagos, said:
“Our school followed the correct schedule, so how did others end up writing papers at night? Something went wrong. This needs to be investigated.”
Similarly, Rex Oscar, another commentator, said:
Interestingly, WAEC reportedly implemented new anti-exam-malpractice measures this year, including the serialization of objective questions — making it harder for candidates to copy from one another.
A WAEC source confirmed that while this step was effective in reducing cheating, it may have caught many students off guard.
“Most candidates didn’t do well in the objective section. They couldn’t rely on copying, which used to boost scores,” the source told Vanguard.
The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) President, Haruna Danjuma, noted that the problem goes beyond exam logistics.
“We’re not investing in teachers. Many states haven’t recruited new teachers in years. Parents also struggle to afford textbooks due to rising costs. How do we expect students to perform?”
He stressed the urgent need for better teacher welfare, digital access for students — especially in rural areas — and proper budget allocation for the education sector.
WAEC announced that out of 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the exam, only 754,545 passed with credits in five subjects including English and Mathematics.
This is in stark contrast to the 2024 WASSCE, where over 72% of candidates met that benchmark — raising serious questions about what went wrong this year.
Bottom Line
With the credibility of Nigeria’s most important secondary school exam under scrutiny, the question remains: will education authorities admit the failure in logistics and planning, or will students be forced to bear the brunt of a broken system?