by Kolapo Olapoju
The West Africa Examination Council, WAEC has released the result for the May/June 2014 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), where it recorded mass failure in key subjects, Mathematics and English Language.
The results was announced on Monday, 11 August at WAEC office, Yaba, by the Head of National Office, Mr. Charles Eguridu.
He said a total of 529,425 candidates, representing 31.28%, obtained credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics. Eguridu disclosed that the results of 145,795 candidates, representing 8.61%, are being withheld in connection with various types of examination malpractice.
According to his statement, out of the 1,692,435 candidates that sat for the examination, 791,227 candidates, representing 46.75%, obtained 6 credits and above, while a total of 982,472 candidates representing 58.05%, obtained 5 credits and above.
He noted that when compared to the 2012 and 2013 May/June WASSCE diets, there was marginal decline in the performance of candidates.
In 2009, 25.99 percent of those who sat for WAEC obtained a credit pass in Mathematics and English compared to 23.5 in 2008. WAEC also witnessed a higher registration rate with a total of 1,373,009 candidates sitting for the examination in Nigeria.
In the following year, fewer candidates sat for the exam. Out of a total of 1,351,557, only 337,071 candidates, representing 24.94 per cent, obtained credits in English Language, Mathematics and at least three other subjects.
The year 2011 witnessed a drastic decrease in the number of Nigerians who sat for WAEC, with 404,863 candidates sitting for the examination, and 226,658 candidates, representing 60.86 percent obtained credit and above in Mathematics, while 226,188 candidates, representing 59.82 percent obtained credit and above in English Language.
However, there was a significant increase in 2012, when 1.67 million students sat for the exams and only 38.81 per cent of them passed with five or more credits including English Language and Mathematics, which was an increase of about eight percent from the previous year.
The number of candidates yet again increased in 2013, when 1,689,188 candidates registered for the examination and 889,636 candidates obtained six credits and above, while 1,074,065 others obtained five credits and above.
Since national certificate of education(NCE) and national diploma(ND) are not allowed to go for national youth service corps(NYSC) Nigerians should plc. allow the colleges of educations and polytechnics to sale the admission forms. To reduce the crimes in the society.
Furthermore civic education and a trade subject that was made compulsory should be looked into again because of future problems e.g. subjects combinations, medical,(biology,chemistry,maths) engineered(chemistry, physics, maths) are expected to set for three(3)subjects at UTME by JAMB befor gain adm.apart from English and mathematics