WASSCE: CONDUCTING EXAMS AT NIGHT CAN’T PRODUCE GOOD RESULTS — NAPPS PRESIDENT
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By: Sefiu Ajape
The President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Yomi Otubela, has condemned the conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) during nighttime hours, calling it unacceptable and harmful to students’ academic performance.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily while responding to the recently released 2025 WASSCE results—which revealed a significant drop in performance—Otubela expressed concern over the examination conditions.
He referenced reports from some states where students were forced to write exams under candlelight and with torchlights, stressing that such environments are not conducive to learning and negatively impact student outcomes.
“We cannot overrule the fact that the condition in which the examination was taken in some states is not acceptable to us. The fact that children were taking exams late into the night with candles and torchlights cannot be a standard that will allow us to have commendable results,” he said on Wednesday.
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The NAPPS president commended students who managed to perform despite the harsh conditions, attributing the significant dip in the pass rate to systemic issues within the country’s education sector.
“I must commend children who, in spite of all the economic hardship and other challenges in preparing for the exam, came out with commendable results.
“Overall, I think there is a challenge in our educational system at the moment. Both private and government stakeholders need a more robust working relationship to identify where the challenges lie and proffer lasting solutions,” he said.
The conduct of the WASSCE in parts of the country drew widespread criticism in May, following incidents where students in Taraba, Ogun, and other states were made to sit for the exams late at night.
Addressing the issue on The Morning Brief on May 29, the Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Amos Dangut, offered an apology, explaining that the council acted on intelligence suggesting a possible compromise of one of the exam papers. This prompted emergency adjustments, which resulted in the delays.
Dangut acknowledged the situation as unfortunate and assured the public that measures have since been put in place to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Inadequate Investment, Underfunding
Otubela’s remarks followed the release of the 2025 WASSCE results by WAEC on Monday, which revealed a significant drop in student performance.
Out of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the examination, results were released for 1,718,090 students. However, only 38.32 per cent secured credit passes in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics — a steep decline compared to the 72.12 per cent recorded in 2024.
In response to the poor performance, Otubela pointed to ongoing challenges within the education sector, citing inadequate funding and a lack of investment in teacher training and development as key factors behind the decline.
“The Head of National Office reported that the pass rate stood at about 38 per cent, the worst in about 15 years, from 2015 to date.
“The reason for this cannot be far-fetched from the many challenges facing education in our country.
“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,” Otubela said.
The NAPPS president also highlighted infrastructural deficits and poor digital access, especially in rural communities.
“The budgetary allocation to education falls short of the recommended UNESCO benchmark. 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,” he added.
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