Nigeria’s private school proprietors have described the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results as the poorest in more than a decade, blaming inadequate teacher training, low education funding and poor learning conditions.
Speaking on Channels Television, the National President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Dr Yomi Otubela, said only about 38% of candidates obtained five credits, including English and Mathematics, the lowest pass rate since 2015, when the previous worst figure was 39%.
“This is the worst in about 15 years,” Otubela said, adding that the decline reflects systemic weaknesses. “We have not paid sufficient attention to the capacity building of our teacher, the budgetary allocation falls short of UNESCO’s recommendation.”
He cited poor infrastructure, lack of digital access in rural areas, and overcrowded classrooms as further obstacles. “Some children hardly have access to a computer. In some places, it is just one to 100,” he said.
The NAPPS president also noted complaints from school owners who believe the results do not reflect their pupils’ abilities. WAEC allows candidates to request a review of exam scripts, and Otubela urged members to use that option. He highlighted the extreme conditions under which some students sat the exams. “Children who were forced to write exams late into the night using candles or torches cannot be set as a standard for attaining commendable results,” he said, commending those who overcame such hardships.
Otubela called for a “state of emergency” in the sector, praising the education minister’s recent push for stricter teacher registration through the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria. “We cannot raise children who have to struggle to pass without adequate facilities,” he said.
He criticised the weak enforcement of education standards. “Our challenges are not about the provision of policies… it is the ability to implement these policies without fear or favour,” he said.
On recent online lists naming schools allegedly involved in exam malpractice, Otubela said WAEC had denied issuing them. “Those lists are not facts… the public should discountenance that,” he said.
According to WAEC, the 2025 results are still accessible online after initial delays on release day.
The guardian
