Massive Failure: Parents, Group Merge Voice Against WAEC, Make Drastic Demands
- Parents and groups voiced strong reactions against the West African Examinations Council following widespread failures in this year's Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations
- The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) condemned the conditions candidates were subjected to while writing the exams
- NAPPS President Yomi Otubela outlined the systemic issues in Nigeria's education sector, leading to the massive failure, as parents make powerful requests
Parents and groups across the country have voiced intense reactions following the widespread failure of candidates in this year's West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations, demanding the cancellation of specific exam papers, particularly the English Language paper.
Source: Twitter
The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) slammed the decision to hold exams at night, stating that it was unacceptable and negatively impacted student performance, as reported by The Vanguard.
Recall that the West African Examinations Council had earlier announced on Monday, August 4, that only 38.32% passed English Language and Mathematics at the credit level.
Commentators on the situation, particularly parents, attributed the widespread failure to shortcomings by WAEC concerning the timing of the English Language exam.
Members of the Concerned Parents and Educators Network (CPE) demanded that the English Language paper be cancelled and called for an investigation into why some students took the exam at night.
In a post by Adegoke Bimpe Atoke on the CPE Facebook platform, she questioned the relevance of the examination body as seen by Vanguard.
She wrote, “Almighty WAEC has done it again. Mass failure in Mathematics and English. 450-word essays written with a phone torchlight at 10:30 pm under the rain, with candidates swatting mosquitoes.
‘’Our systems need drastic, strategic, urgent reforms. I can’t even eat. I have lost my appetite. Which way is the way forward? If WAEC is not working and has lost relevance, can we have something else?
In another reaction, Abiodun Adesanya Adeleke said:
“The English Language is supposed to be retaken with all the nonsense that happened on that day. Students writing exams till past 9:00 pm with torchlight and in mosquito-infested classes." Adeleke lamented
Adetoun Aremu proposed that the English Language and Mathematics exams be retaken.
Ifeoma Eucharia pointed out that despite the challenges faced by the candidates, they still performed poorly in the English Language.
Proprietors voice concern about the mass failure
Yomi Otubela, president of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), condemned the results, saying the way the exam was conducted was unacceptable and hurt students' performance.
Otubela referenced reports of students in some states taking exams by candlelight or torchlight during his appearance as a guest on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, August 6, cautioning that the conditions compromised the academic outcomes.
“We cannot overrule the fact that the condition in which the examination was written in some states is not acceptable to us. The fact that children were writing exams late into the night with candles and torchlights cannot be a standard that will allow us to have commendable results,” he said.
The NAPPS boss praised students who managed to do well despite the tough conditions. He attributed the sharp drop in pass rates to systemic problems in the nation's education sector.
Otubela cited the ongoing issues in the education sector as the reason for the steep drop in results, emphasising that the insufficient investment in teacher training and underfunding played significant roles in this outcome.
“We have not paid sufficient attention to the capacity building of our teachers. In a few months, we’ll be celebrating World Teachers’ Day, yet there is little evidence of investment in teacher training to enhance mentoring of students,” he said.
The NAPPS leader also noted the gaps in infrastructure and limited digital access in rural areas, stating that the education budget allocation doesn't meet the UNESCO-recommended standard.
‘’Many children in rural areas have little or no access to computers, and they study in non-conducive environments. This points to a wide gap between classroom experience and actual learning outcomes.’’ Otubela explained
Source: Twitter
WAEC faces criticism over result portal
Legit.ng previously reported that the West African Examinations Council faced fresh criticism after it temporarily shut down its result checker portal, citing "technical issues" as the reason.
WAEC, in a statement on Wednesday, August 6, via its official page on X.com, announced the temporary shutdown of its result checker website.
The announcement fueled outrage from concerned Nigerians and candidates in the just-concluded May/June 2025 examination, as the majority of the candidates failed English or Mathematics.
WAEC result checker portal crashes
Legit.ng also reported that WAEC on Wednesday evening, August 6, disclosed that its result checker portal was temporarily non-operational.
In a statement shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) page, WAEC said the portal, https://waecdirect.org, crashed "due to technical issues".
Amid concerns from dozens of West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) 2025 candidates, WAEC told these young individuals that they would be able to access their results "in the next 24 hours".
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
