Firstsitenews-On Monday, August 4, 2025, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) officially released the results of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) but the outcome marks the worst academic performance in the last five years.
In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, WAEC confirmed that the results had been released and were available for candidates to access.
How Many Candidates Sat for the 2025 Exam?
WAEC disclosed that 1,973,365 candidates registered for the 2025 examination from 23,554 accredited secondary schools across Nigeria. However, 1,969,313 candidates actually sat for the exam.
Of this number:
976,787 were male candidates (49.60%)
992,526 were female candidates (50.40%)
Pass Rate and Performance
Only 754,545 candidates, representing 38.32%, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics a key benchmark for university admission in Nigeria.
According to the Head of WAEC's National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, this represents a 33.8% drop in performance when compared to the 72.12% pass rate recorded in 2024.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Dangut noted that:
“Out of the total number of candidates who sat for the exam in Nigeria, 1,517,517 (77.06%) had their results fully processed and released, while 451,796 (22.94%) have one or more subjects still under processing due to issues being resolved.”
Exam Malpractice and Withheld Results
WAEC also announced that it had withheld the results of 192,089 candidates, representing 9.75% of total candidates, due to various reported cases of examination malpractice.
This is a slight improvement compared to 2024, when 11.92% of results were withheld for similar reasons.
Five-Year Performance Comparison
Here’s a quick look at WAEC pass rates over the past five years:
2020: 65.24% (1,003,668 candidates out of 1,601,047)
2021: 81.7% — the highest pass rate in five years
2022: 76.36%
2023: 79.81%
2024: 72.12%
2025: 38.32% - the lowest in the five-year span
Why Is 2025 the Worst in Five Years?
According to Dr. Harmony Mark-Ewa, an educationist who spoke with BBC News Pidgin, one of the core reasons for the poor performance is the weak partnership between schools and parents.
Her thesis, titled “Management of Home-School Partnership and the Attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Rivers State”, explores this issue in depth.
She emphasized:
“There’s a serious communication gap between homes and schools when it comes to pursuing quality education.”
Dr. Mark-Ewa explained that discipline must be consistent both at home and in school, but in many cases, parents fail to reinforce the discipline children receive at school and vice versa.
She also highlighted how poor home environments, distractions, and overburdening students with errands during study time contribute significantly to academic underperformance.
“The environments students come from and return to after school play a crucial role in their learning outcomes,” she added.
The Way Forward
Dr. Mark-Ewa urged closer collaboration between parents and teachers, stressing that improving student performance requires mutual responsibility:
“Parents and schools must work together to train and develop the child. It’s a shared responsibility.”
WAEC’s 2025 results have not only raised questions about the state of education in Nigeria but have also sparked calls for urgent reforms and deeper community involvement to reverse the decline.
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