WAEC Demands Improved facilities and Trained Teachers to Boost Students’ Performance

The Head of Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Dr Amos Dangut, has advocated a review of human and material resources in schools, saying improvements are needed to boost student performance in public examinations.

Dangut, who spoke against the backdrop of Ghanaian students’ recent dominance in the 2025 results, said the development raises questions about the availability of qualified teachers and the adequacy of learning facilities in Nigerian schools.

At the 74th yearly national council meeting of the examination body, three Ghanaian students were recognised for recording the highest cumulative scores among 2,612,830 candidates from The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The students, Huda Suleman, Paula Suwo, and Matthea Andoh, emerged as the top three candidates in the school examination.

Speaking on the outcome, Dangut asked whether schools have enough qualified teachers and whether laboratories and other examination facilities are sufficient, well-equipped and supported by an environment conducive to teaching and learning.

He explained that WAEC’s role is to provide examination data and information, while education planners and managers are expected to use the data to formulate policies aimed at improving performance.

Dangut noted that the recent performance by Ghanaian students represents a shift from previous years, when Nigerian candidates often dominated the list of top-performing students in the WASSCE.

He cited the 2025 WASSCE results as an example of the challenges facing Nigerian students. Out of 1,969,313 candidates who sat for the examination, 754,545 obtained credits and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. The figure represents 38.32 per cent of the total candidates.

Dangut said the statistics underscored the need for stakeholders to examine the conditions under which teaching and learning occur.

He said questions around the quality of teachers, the state of laboratories, the availability of examination facilities and the general learning environment must be addressed to improve outcomes.