In a development that has sent shockwaves across the country, the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results have revealed the worst performance by Nigerian students in at least a decade, sparking national outrage and renewed calls for urgent education reforms.
According to data released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), only 38.32% of candidates obtained five credits including English Language and Mathematics — the benchmark for qualification into tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This represents a dramatic drop of nearly 34 percentage points from the 72.12% recorded in 2024.
The sharp decline is unprecedented in recent memory. Between 2021 and 2024, Nigeria had consistently maintained relatively high pass rates — with 81.7% in 2021, 76.36% in 2022, and 79.81% in 2023. The 2025 figure now stands as the lowest on record in at least five years, and widely considered the worst in a decade by education stakeholders.
WAEC’s Head of National Office in Nigeria, Dr. Amos Dangut, who disclosed the results in Lagos, attributed the poor performance to multiple factors including the ongoing economic crisis, teacher shortages, widespread insecurity in the North, and frequent school closures across many parts of the country.
“This year’s results should be a wake-up call,” Dangut stated. “There is an urgent need for a national overhaul of the education system. Learning conditions have deteriorated in both rural and urban areas.”
Education experts have warned that the catastrophic results could have far-reaching implications for national development, as thousands of students now face an uncertain academic future. Many blame the government’s underfunding of the education sector, lack of training for teachers, and dilapidated learning environments in public schools.
Speaking with Abuja Network News, Dr. Halima Nuhu, a senior lecturer at the University of Abuja, lamented: “How can students perform when they are taught under trees, with outdated books, unpaid teachers, and no electricity? This is a systemic collapse.”
The results have reignited debate around the implementation of the education component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education by 2030 — a target now further out of reach for Nigeria.
Student groups and civil society organizations have begun mobilizing, demanding that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration declare a state of emergency on education. Some have also called for the sacking of top officials in the Federal Ministry of Education for alleged neglect and complacency.
A coalition of parent-teacher associations (PTAs) nationwide has also petitioned the National Assembly to investigate the root causes of the collapse in student performance and recommend strategic interventions.
Meanwhile, private schools have continued to dominate the performance chart, raising concerns about deepening inequality in access to quality education across social classes.
With millions of youths already out of school and unemployment figures soaring, analysts warn that this massive failure may add to growing national instability, restiveness, and hopelessness among Nigerian youth
With this latest collapse, many now question whether the government is truly serious about investing in the minds of the next generation — or whether another year of failure is on the horizon.
As calls for reform echo nationwide, one thing is clear: Nigeria’s education system is on life support.
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