38% Pass Rate, Now Glitches: WAEC under fire over 2025 exam results

The West African Examinations Council has temporarily blocked access to its results portal for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination following technical problems.

WAEC said it discovered the glitches after a post-release review of the results, prompting the suspension.

The Head of Public Affairs, WAEC National Office, Moyosola Adesina, explained in a statement that some issues were linked to its recently introduced paper serialisation method used in Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics.

The Council said it decided to review and correct the errors immediately in the interest of fairness and professionalism. It advised candidates who had already accessed their results to re-check them from Friday, when the updated versions would be available.

WAEC apologised for the inconvenience, assuring the public that the matter would be resolved within 24 hours. The statement came a day after the examination body announced on its official X handle that the result portal had been shut down temporarily.

The development follows concerns raised earlier in the week when WAEC revealed that only 38.32 per cent of the nearly two million candidates who took the examination obtained five credits, including in English Language and Mathematics — the worst performance in ten years.

The poor outcome has fuelled debates on the state of education, examination malpractice, and the readiness of the country’s examination bodies for a full digital transition.

Stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Teachers, the National Association of Parent-Teacher Associations of Nigeria, and the National Association of Nigerian Students, reacted sharply to the latest development.

NAPTAN President, Haruna Danjuma, said while it was positive that WAEC had acknowledged its error, the plan to move completely to Computer-Based Testing for major examinations was not realistic given the infrastructure gaps and low computer literacy levels among students, particularly in rural areas.

NANS Assistant General Secretary, Adejuwon Olatunji, was more critical, accusing WAEC of incompetence for failing to properly test its systems before releasing results. He said the glitch had caused unnecessary anxiety for candidates and parents, and demanded that those responsible be sanctioned.

On social media, many Nigerians questioned WAEC’s handling of the matter and called for greater accountability. Others criticised the rush to release results without completing thorough internal reviews.

NUT President, Audu Amba, said the incident was a reminder for WAEC to strengthen its internal checks before publishing results. He also dismissed attempts to blame teachers for the poor performance, instead pointing to the attitudes of students, limited parental involvement, inadequate government funding, and weak quality assurance measures in education.

The Federal Ministry of Education later announced that the glitches had been resolved and commended WAEC for responding quickly. Ministry spokesperson Folasade Boriowo said updated results would be available within 24 hours and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining integrity in examination processes.

She noted that WAEC and NECO would begin phased Computer-Based Testing for objective components from November 2026 as part of broader reforms to curb malpractice and restore confidence in the examination system.