Introduction
The release of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results has triggered significant debate and soul-searching within Nigeria’s education sector. According to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), only 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the examination obtained credit passes in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. This figure represents the worst national performance in a decade and a sharp contrast to the 72.12% recorded in 2024; a staggering 33.8% decline. While such a drop may raise alarm, WAEC attributes it to the rigorous implementation of anti-examination malpractice policies introduced in 2025.
WAEC’s Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, has clarified that the steep decline was expected given the examination body’s adoption of serialised objective papers in core subjects like English, Mathematics, Biology, and Economics. These measures, including the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) hybrid format, were introduced to curb rampant examination fraud, especially collusion and cheating aided by online platforms and rogue operators.
Dr. Dangut explained that candidates were offered a choice: the traditional pen-and-paper examination or a CBT hybrid format in which questions were displayed on a screen while answers were recorded in booklets. Though innovative, this format unintentionally exposed the lack of digital preparedness among many candidates, particularly those from under-resourced public schools.
While the crackdown on malpractice is widely acknowledged as a step in the right direction, it also uncovered longstanding structural weaknesses within Nigeria’s education ecosystem. Many students have grown dependent on “expo”; an illicit examination leakages and assistance as a crutch. The stringent anti-malpractice policies forced them to rely on their actual knowledge and preparation, with devastating consequences for those inadequately prepared.
According to Haruna Danjuma, National President of the Parents-Teachers Association of Nigeria, many students lacked basic computer skills and faced poor learning environments, especially in public schools. “We are dealing with candidates who do not have foundational knowledge, not to mention the digital proficiency needed to sit for a CBT exam,” he noted.
While WAEC confirmed that results of 192,089 candidates were withheld over malpractice allegations; 9.75% of the total, down from 11.92% in 2024, it is evident that fewer students were able to manipulate the system. Punch Newspapers, in one of its reports, said the Project Lead at Safe Schools Lagos, Dr. Bisi Akin-Alabi, supports WAEC’s measures, noting that stricter controls compelled students to “rely on their true capacity.” However, she admitted the measures disproportionately affected ill-prepared candidates, many of whom had come to expect examination fraud as a guarantee.
The execution of these policies was not without significant flaws. The late-night conduct of the English Language paper in multiple states, such as Lagos and Taraba, due to a last-minute reprinting of question papers following a leak, resulted in students writing exams by lanterns and phone lights well past midnight. This not only violated best practices in examination administration but also created unnecessary psychological stress on students, potentially affecting their performance.
Moreover, 451,796 results, about 22.94% are still being processed due to technical and administrative issues, suggesting that logistical inefficiencies remain a significant barrier to WAEC’s reform agenda.
Experts Weigh In
Educationists and analysts believe the low performance in 2025 highlights deeper systemic failures. Professor Francis Egbokhare, former Director at the University of Ibadan’s Distance Learning Centre, asserts that the results reflect a “crisis of quality” in the education sector. He laments the lack of investment in teacher training, infrastructure, and curriculum implementation, stating, “No education system can exceed the quality of its teachers.”
He further noted that many public-school teachers lack the competence to deliver quality education and often fail to guide students properly. Consequently, when students are denied the usual help through malpractice, they are left exposed.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Are We Ready for Full CBT?
The 2025 WASSCE results come on the eve of WAEC’s planned full transition to Computer-Based Testing by 2026, as mandated by the Federal Government. However, this year’s results and the technical hitches experienced in the CBT pilot cast doubt on Nigeria’s readiness. With the nation still grappling with poor infrastructure, insufficient training for teachers, and students lacking digital literacy, the transition, though, it inevitable appears premature and potentially detrimental without adequate groundwork.
Conclusion
The introduction of anti-malpractice measures in WASSCE 2025 marks a significant turning point in Nigeria’s educational history. While the resultant poor performance may seem alarming, it presents an opportunity to confront and address long-ignored weaknesses. Examination integrity is non-negotiable, but so too is the need to build a system capable of producing students who can succeed without cheating.
As the country prepares for a full CBT rollout in 2026, education stakeholders must urgently invest in teacher development, digital infrastructure, and student readiness. Without such foundational reforms, the noble fight against malpractice may become a pyrrhic victory; winning the battle for integrity while losing a generation to failure.
