By Abimbola Ologun
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has made the decision to hold back the results of 215,267 candidates who participated in the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates, due to concerns about potential exam malpractice.
Dr Amos Dangut, Head of the National Office (HNO) of WAEC, disclosed this information while announcing the results on Monday in Lagos.
Dr Dangut revealed that the number of withheld results represents a significant percentage, 11.92 per cent to be exact, of the total number of candidates who sat for the WASSCE examination.
He explained that while the number of withheld results this year is concerning, it represents a slight improvement from the previous year’s examination. In 2023, the percentage of withheld results was 16.29 per cent, indicating a decrease of 4.37 per cent in the number of students affected by allegations of malpractice.
In his words: “The withheld results of these candidates that sat for the examination are in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues.
“All the cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council, for consideration and final decisions.”
He emphasized that the WAEC committee’s decisions regarding the withheld results would be transmitted directly to the affected students through their respective schools, ensuring that each student receives the necessary information in a timely manner.
The Head of WAEC encouraged affected candidates to visit https://waecinternational.org if they wish to appeal the committee’s decisions. He emphasized that the platform would provide a convenient and accessible avenue for candidates to seek redress for any grievances they might have regarding their results.
Dangut reiterated WAEC’s zero-tolerance policy towards exam malpractice, stating that the council will remain vigilant in identifying and penalizing all instances of cheating and other prohibited behaviors during the examination process.
He underscored the detrimental impact of examination malpractice on the educational system, decrying the actions of schools, supervisors, teachers, and candidates who engage in such unethical practices.
“All hands must therefore be on deck to sanitise the system,” he noted
He went on to provide additional statistics regarding the WASSCE results, revealing that a total of 1,814,736 candidates had registered for the examination from 25,126 recognized secondary schools across the country.
He also revealed that of the 1,814,736 candidates who sat for the WASSCE, 896,894 were male, while 908,322 were female, representing 49.68% and 50.32% of the total number of candidates, respectively.
Dangut also noted that although 1,814,736 candidates had registered for the WASSCE, only 1,805,216 actually sat for the examination, indicating a slight drop in participation.
He stated that the examination was also administered to candidates from some schools in Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian curriculum for senior secondary schools was being used.
He stated “Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, 1,685,889 candidates, representing 93.39 per cent have their results fully processed and released while 119,327 others, representing 6.61 per cent, have one or more of their subjects still being processed, due to some issues being resolved.
“Efforts are, however, speedily ongoing to complete the process and release the affected candidates’ results within a couple of days.”
He went on to report that a thorough analysis of the WASSCE results showed that 1,332,089 out of the 1,805,216 candidates who sat for the examination obtained credit or above in at least five subjects, accounting for 73.79% of the total number of candidates.
He clarified that this was with or without English Language and or Mathematics.
Speaking further, he said a total of 1,301,941 candidates, representing 72.12 per cent obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
In his words, “Of this number, 628,820, that is, 48.30 per cent are male candidates, while 673,121 representing 51.70 per cent are female candidates.
“A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for School, 2023 and 2024, reveals that in 2024 WASSCE, there is 7.69 per cent decrease in performance.
“That is when compared with those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, which was 79.81 per cent.”
