WAEC Raises Alarm Over Nigeria’s Declining WASSCE Performance as Ghanaian Students Lead 2025 Rankings

The Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Dr. Amos Dangut, has called for an urgent review of the quality of teaching and learning resources in Nigerian schools following concerns about students’ performance in public examinations.

Speaking during a press briefing at WAEC’s national office in Yaba, Lagos, Dangut stressed that improving academic outcomes in Nigeria would require serious investment in both human and material resources across the education sector.

His comments come after Ghanaian students emerged as the top performers in the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), sparking conversations about the state of education in Nigeria.

At the 74th Annual Council Meeting of WAEC held in March, three Ghanaian students — Huda Suleman, Paula Suwo, and Matthea Andoh — recorded the highest cumulative scores among over 2.6 million candidates from five West African countries: The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

The development has triggered debate among educators and policymakers, especially given Nigeria’s historical dominance in the examination.

Dangut, however, described the trend as part of the changing dynamics of education performance across the region.

“The world is dynamic. If you follow the trend in performance, there were times Nigerians were the ones collecting all the prizes,” he said.

Reacting to the outcome, Dangut raised concerns about the readiness of Nigerian schools to deliver quality education, questioning whether many institutions have qualified teachers, functional laboratories, and conducive learning environments.

According to him, WAEC’s role is limited to providing examination data and performance reports, while education authorities and policymakers must use the information to implement reforms.

“We have to look at the human and material resources in our learning environment,” Dangut stated.

He further asked critical questions about the education system:

Do schools have adequately qualified teachers?

Are laboratories properly equipped?

Are learning environments conducive?

Are there sufficient teaching and examination facilities?

Dangut suggested that addressing these issues is essential if Nigeria hopes to improve students’ academic performance and reclaim its place among the top-performing countries in West Africa.

Nigeria’s 2025 WASSCE Performance Raises Concern

The statistics from the 2025 WASSCE have also intensified concerns about the country’s education system.

Out of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the examination in Nigeria, only 754,545 candidates obtained credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

This represents just 38.32 percent of the total candidates — a figure many education stakeholders consider worrying for Africa’s most populous nation.

The performance has renewed calls for increased government investment in education infrastructure, teacher training, curriculum development, and student support systems.

Education experts argue that the issue goes beyond examination results. Many believe Nigeria’s declining performance reflects deeper systemic challenges, including inadequate funding, overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure, teacher shortages, and inconsistent education policies.

As regional competition in education grows, stakeholders say Nigeria must rethink its approach to learning and invest more deliberately in building a stronger academic foundation for students.

With WAEC now highlighting these concerns publicly, pressure is likely to mount on education authorities to take concrete action aimed at improving outcomes in future examinations.