The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 215,267 candidates who sat for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates due to alleged malpractice.
Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of the National Office (HNO), announced this on Monday in Lagos.
According to Dangut, this figure represents 11.92 percent of the candidates who took the examination. He noted that this percentage is 4.37 percent lower than the 16.29 percent recorded for the same exam in 2023.
“The withheld results are related to various reported cases of examination malpractice,” Dangut said. “The increasing use of cell phones in examination halls, despite the existing ban, and organized cheating in some schools are other persistent issues. All cases are being investigated, and the reports will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council for consideration and final decisions.”
Dangut added that the committee’s decisions would be communicated to the affected candidates through their schools in due course. He encouraged candidates who wish to seek redress to do so via https://waecinternational.org.
The council will continue to sanction all cases of examination malpractice, Dangut said, emphasizing that schools, supervisors, teachers, and candidates involved in such practices are harming the educational system. “All hands must therefore be on deck to sanitize the system,” he stated.
In a breakdown of the results, Dangut reported that 1,814,736 candidates registered for the examination from 25,126 recognized secondary schools in the country. Of the candidates who sat for the examination, 896,894 are male and 908,322 are female, representing 49.68 percent and 50.32 percent, respectively.
Dangut noted that of the 1,814,736 candidates who registered, only 1,805,216 actually took the exam. The examination was also administered to candidates in some schools in Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian senior secondary school curriculum is used.
“Out of the total number of candidates who sat the examination in Nigeria, 1,685,889, or 93.39 percent, have their results fully processed and released. However, 119,327 candidates, representing 6.61 percent, have one or more subjects still being processed due to unresolved issues. Efforts are ongoing to complete this process and release the results within a few days,” he said.
Dangut explained that 1,332,089 candidates, or 73.79 percent, obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, regardless of whether English Language or Mathematics were included. Additionally, 1,301,941 candidates, or 72.12 percent, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Of this group, 628,820, or 48.30 percent, are male, and 673,121, or 51.70 percent, are female.
He noted that there was a 7.69 percent decrease in performance from the 2023 WASSCE for School, where 79.81 percent obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
Dangut further revealed that 109,115 candidates with special needs registered for the examination.
NAN.
