Peter Obi laments declining WASSCE performance, demands boost in education investment

Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State and 2023 presidential candidate for the Labour Party, has voiced alarm over the West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC) recent report indicating a 7.69 percent drop in the performance of candidates who took the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria.

WAEC announced the results on August 12, revealing that out of 1,805,216 candidates, 1,332,089 achieved credits in five subjects, including either Mathematics or English, while 1,301,949 received credits in both Mathematics and English. This represents 72.9% of the total candidates. However, performance declined by 7.6% from last year, and 215,267 results were withheld due to examination malpractice, accounting for 11.92% of the candidates.

In a statement on August 19 via X, Obi criticized the decrease in performance as a clear indication of Nigeria’s inadequate investment in education, health, and poverty reduction.

He highlighted that this year’s percentage of candidates with credits in at least five subjects, including English and Mathematics, fell to 72.12% from last year’s 79.81%. Obi pointed out that Nigeria’s literacy rate, while officially over 50%, ranks the country 187th globally, reflecting a lack of commitment to education.

Obi also condemned the education sector’s funding, noting that the total capital expenditure for education, including the Universal Basic Education Commission, was only N330.3 billion—an insufficient amount for a nation with about 81,520 primary schools and 23,550 secondary schools.

Drawing from his tenure as governor, Obi referenced the significant improvements made in Anambra State’s education system through aggressive investment, which continues to yield positive results.

He congratulated the 2024 WASSCE students who excelled and commended the schools, management, staff, and teachers for their crucial role in educational development.