WAEC has withheld 365,564 results

  1.2m students receive five credits, including English and Math.

The West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has withheld the results of 365,564 applicants who took this year's West African Senior School Certificate Test, WASSCE, due to suspicions of examination fraud.

The withheld results represent 22.83 percent of the total number of 1,601,047 candidates that took the exam.

This was revealed on Monday by Mr. Patrick Areghan, Head of the Nigerian National Office of WAEC, when providing a breakdown of candidate performance in Lagos.

"Analysis of candidate performance statistics reveals that, of the 1,601,047 candidates who sat for the examination, 1,409,529 candidates, representing 88.04 percent, got credit or above in a minimum of any five (5) subjects (i.e. with or without English Language and/or Mathematics;

"In addition, 1,222,505 candidates (76.36 percent) received credits or above in a minimum of five (5) disciplines, including English Language and Mathematics."

"Of this total, 597,811 (37.34%) were male applicants, while 624,694 (39.02%) were female candidates." In the WASSCE for school candidates, 2021, the percentage of candidates in this group, that is, those who earned credit or higher in a minimum of five (5) subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 81.70 percent. As a result, there is a 5.34 percent loss in performance," Areghan noted.

The WAEC president said that 1.713) special needs individuals took the WASSCE in 2022.

"I am pleased to report that 1,713 candidates with varied degrees of Special Needs registered for the examination," he said. There were 128 who were visually handicapped, 583 who had impaired hearing, 387 who were spastic cum mentally challenged, and 12 who were physically challenged. The conduct of the examination effectively accommodated all of these candidates.

"These candidates' results have been processed and are now being released with the results of other candidates," he said.

The council did acknowledge, however, how it was able to manage a number of obstacles, particularly ensuring that applicants in the South East and North West who were affected by security issues take the examination at a later date, with their results being provided.

"The results of 365,564 candidates, representing 22.83 percent of the total number of candidates who sat for the examination, are being withheld in connection with numerous documented incidences of examination malpractice," Areghan added.

This is higher than the 10.9 percent obtained in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2021. There are plausible explanations for this. Candidates are not prepared to learn any longer.

Examination preparation is lacking. There is an over-reliance on the ostensibly non-existent 'Expo.' Candidates were just frustrated when they entered the examination hall and learned that everything they had celebrated was a hoax.

This has sadly resulted in some of them failing the exams, which they would have passed if they had relied on themselves and worked diligently."