By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
PRESIDENT OF the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Yomi Otubela, has criticised the conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) during nighttime hours in some parts of the country, warning that such conditions cannot produce commendable results.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Otubela referenced reports from states including Taraba and Ogun where students wrote examinations under candlelight and torchlight, describing the development as “unacceptable” and detrimental to performance.
“The fact that children were writing exams late into the night with candles and torchlights cannot be a standard that will allow us to have commendable results,” he said.
His comments followed the release of the 2025 WASSCE results, which revealed a significant drop in performance.
According to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), only 38.32 per cent of candidates obtained credit and above in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, compared to 72.12 per cent in 2024 – the lowest pass rate in about 15 years.
The WAEC Head of National Office, Amos Dangut, had earlier apologised for the night exams, explaining that they were necessitated by emergency paper changes following intelligence about a potential compromise. He assured that measures had been taken to avoid a recurrence.
Otubela commended students who performed well despite the conditions but linked the broader decline in results to systemic challenges in the education sector.
He cited inadequate teacher capacity building, underfunding, poor infrastructure, and limited digital access, particularly in rural communities, as key issues.
“The budgetary allocation to education falls short of the recommended UNESCO benchmark.
Many children in rural areas have little or no access to computers, and they study in non-conducive environments.
This points to a wide gap between classroom experience and actual learning outcomes,” he said, calling for stronger collaboration between private and government stakeholders to address the sector’s challenges.
