The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that 1,287,920 candidates, representing 79.81 percent, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2023 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
Patrick Areghan, head of Nigeria National Office at WAEC, disclosed this on Monday at the council’s office in Yaba, Lagos.
He said: “1,287,920 candidates, representing 79.81 percent, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.
“Of this number, 616,914, that is 47.9 percent, were male candidates, while 671,006, that is 52.1 percent, were female candidates.
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“The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for school candidates, 2022, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, were 76.36 percent,” he said.
Areghan said that out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, 1,476,565 candidates, representing 91.5 percent, have their results fully processed and released while 137,168 candidates, representing 8.5 percent, have a few of their subjects still being processed due to “some shortcomings, nonchalant, lethargy, incomplete CASS upload, and disobedience of rubrics, among others associated with the schools and candidates concerned”.
Of the number that registered for the examination, 1,613,733 candidates sat the examination. The examination was also administered to candidates from some schools in Benin Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian curriculum for senior secondary schools is being used.
The WASSCE for school candidates spanned seven weeks, from May 8 to June 23, 2023.
A total of 70,794 candidates, with varying degrees of special needs registered for the examination. Out of this number, 109 were visually impaired, 386 had impaired hearing; 33 were spastic cum mentally challenged and 34 were physically challenged.
According to WAEC, “All these candidates were adequately provided for in the administration of the examination. The results of these candidates have been processed and are also now being released along with those of other candidates.”
However, the examination witnessed a good number of supervisors, invigilators, school proprietors, and principals who were caught aiding and abetting examination malpractice by way of snapping and posting examination question papers online were arrested in Abia, Borno, Imo, Ogun and Oyo States.
Areghan said: “Those arrested are currently chatting with the police all over the federation. The council, on its part, through the Nigeria Examinations Committee, will mete out appropriate sanctions to affected supervisors through the various State Ministries of Education.
“Some people continue to make the mistake of thinking that WAEC posts questions on its website, and that because these websites are not well secured, that’s why candidates have access to them! This is most untrue and unfair.”
