WAEC Records 70% Candidates Faillure In Nov/Dec WASSCE

Where exactly is Nigerian education heading to? The declining rate of academic failure is quite alarming or what can be said of a situation where a total of 246,853 candidates sat for the November/December 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, and only 72,522 candidates, representing 29.37 per cent,  were able to obtained credits in five subjects, including Mathematics and English Language -- making it 70.63 per cent failure... Hmmm

Though according to Head of the Nigeria National Office, the West African Examinations Council, Mr. Charles Eguridu, there was an improvement when compared with last year’s 26.97 per cent (amounting to 80,135 candidates) who obtained five credits in five subjects, including Mathematics and English Language.

The results were announced in Lagos on Thursday, 18/12/2014, where Eguridu said there was a marked reduction in examination malpractices, and he attributed this to the introduction of biometric registration and customised mathematical sets with inbuilt calculators, taken to curb the scourge.

Efforts made to curb examination frauds, wasn't an outright success as some candidates still engaged in malpractices which resulted to WAEC withholding results of 28,817 candidates, said Eguridu

This years results represented 11.67 of the number of candidates who wrote the examination, were withheld for “various cases of malpractices.” According to him, the malpractice cases are being investigated with the reports of findings expected to be presented to the National Examination Committee for consideration.

Waec withheld 38,260 results, equivalent of 12.88 per cent of the total number of candidates who sat for the examination in 2013 for similar reasons.

5,691 candidates (about 2.3 per cent) whose results, Eguridu said, were still being processed for errors he blamed on the candidates and cyber café operators.

Eguridu said, “Of the total number of candidates that sat for the examination, 75,313 candidates (30.5 per cent) obtained credits and above in six subjects; 110,346 candidates (44. 7 per cent) obtained credits and above in five.

“In addition, 145,036 candidates, representing 58.75 per cent, obtained credits and above in four subjects while 177.177 candidates, representing 71.77 per cent, obtained credits and above in three subjects. A total of 205,090 candidates (83.08) obtained credits and above in two subjects,” he noted.

It should be noted that the total number of candidates that sat for the examination this year is 61,364 short of the 308,217 candidates that wrote it last year – a decline of about 20 per cent.

While, Waec recorded a shortfall of “blind candidates” enrollment. With the figure falling from 82 recorded last year to 48 -- and 17 of the category of candidates obtained five credits in 2013, while, four achieved similar feat this year.