For the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) blocked candidates’ access to its results portal due to technical issues, which sparked uproar.
Following a post-release assessment of the 2025 WASSCE results, the Council discovered problems in its result system, which resulted in the denial of access, according to a statement released by Moyosola Adesina, Head of Public Affairs, WAEC National Office.
The Council advised candidates who had previously viewed their results to check again starting on Friday for the most recent versions, stating that access to the result checker portal has been temporarily suspended.
Admitting that the post-release quality tests revealed technological issues in its backend systems, WAEC defended its serialization approach for mathematics, English language, biology, and economics.
Part of the announcement said, “The West African Examinations Council deeply regrets to notify the public of technical issues found during the internal review of the results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates, 2025 that were recently released.”
“The Council started a novel approach—paper serialization—that has already been implemented by a national examination body as part of our efforts to combat misconduct. Notably, this is consistent with recommended practices for assessments. In the fields of mathematics, English language, biology, and economics, the paper serialization was completed. An internal post-release process, however, found certain technical errors in the outcomes.
The Council has made the decision to immediately examine and fix the technical issues that caused the problem since it is a responsive body that values professionalism and fairness. Consequently, the result checker portal has temporarily blocked access to the WASSCE SC 2025 results.
“We sincerely apologize to all impacted candidates as well as the public at large. As we strive to swiftly and transparently remedy this issue within the next 24 hours, we sincerely appreciate their understanding and patience. In light of this, candidates who have already reviewed their findings are encouraged to do so again in a day.
Less than twenty-four hours after WAEC announced a temporary closure of its result portal due to “technical issues” on its official X handle, the clarification was released on Thursday.
Since Head of National Office Dr. Amos Dangut disclosed on Monday that just 38.32% of the 1,969,313 candidates who took the 2025 WASSCE earned credits and above in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, the Council has been the focus of intense scrutiny.
Concerns about the state of education, rising exam cheating, and preparedness for a complete digital shift in the administration of national exams were raised by the number, which was the worst in ten years.
The Nigeria Union of Teachers, the National Association of Parent-Teacher Associations of Nigeria, and the National Association of Nigerian Students were among those who responded to Thursday’s event.
Haruna Danjuma, the National President of NAPTAN, spoke and said that although WAEC’s acceptance of responsibility was admirable, the projected switch to fully computer-based testing for external exams was unrealistic.
“It is beneficial for the person who committed the error to own up to it. However, it is not feasible to switch WASSCE and NECO completely to CBT, according to Danjuma.
He emphasized that there were two main issues: students’ low levels of computer literacy and insufficient infrastructure.
“All levels of government should install computers in schools and make sure that students learn how to use them if we genuinely want our kids to succeed in cognitive behavioral therapy.”
Currently, between 80 and 90 percent of students lack computer literacy, particularly in rural areas. Governors should begin equipping schools immediately, perhaps starting with SS2, if WAEC and NECO plan to use CBT in 2026. In this manner, we can begin to observe changes.
However, WAEC was heavily criticized by the National Association of Nigerian Students, which accused it of being incompetent.
Adejuwon Olatunji, the assistant general secretary for NANS, criticized WAEC for not adequately testing its systems prior to release, claiming that this had created needless psychological suffering for parents and candidates.
Olatunji stated, “This incident is not just unfortunate; it is a glaring indication that WAEC’s leadership has failed.”
“This degree of incompetence is unacceptable for an assessment board that oversees millions of pupils throughout West Africa. It demonstrates a lack of consideration for the financial, academic, and emotional effects on applicants to introduce new systems without adequate testing or contingency planning.
The result checker webpage is the last stop on a lengthy academic journey, so it’s not a small instrument. At that point, any error is an unacceptable failure.
He rejected WAEC’s apologies and insisted that the guilty be held accountable.
“Students’ findings were incorrect. Some were unable to access theirs. Others believed they had failed because they were mislead. WAEC now discreetly corrects the situation.
“Technological failure is not the only issue here. It’s a lack of responsibility, inadequate supervision, and bad leadership. The WAEC Head has to leave. One mistake is too many.
For alleged malpractice, the Council withheld more than 192,000 results, although it was unable to even get its procedure correct. WAEC must start with itself if it want to uphold integrity.
“This is a call for accountability,” he continued. The leadership of WAEC has shown itself incapable of overseeing such a crucial organization. We call for competent, accountable, and transparent leadership. Carelessness must not be tolerated in our educational system.
On social media, Nigerians also expressed their patience as they awaited the miracle that WAEC promised to create within the next day.
“I’m curious about how they intend to justify the 24-hour’miracle’ of grade changes,” commented SeyiB, @SaintSeyiB. A lot of parents will probably insist on seeing their kids’ scripts. Make sure everything you’re working on is done right, or you risk a year of lawsuits. Parents are not happy. Furthermore, not everybody would find any crocodile tears on national television endearing.
In a tweet at @peculiarpat1, PATO blasted WAEC for not carrying out its due diligence and evaluations before to announcing the results.
“The question is, why the haste to release results?” he wrote. Shouldn’t every review be conducted prior to the results being made public? WAEC completed theirs after JAMB did theirs. Would there have been a review if there had been no complaints? Why do institutions frequently make people’s problems worse in our environment? Before releasing the results, complete all the reviews and due diligence. There is no benefit to causing needless suffering to our children!
Dum Spiro Spero, @Inv_Dos, also wrote, “Were you not supposed to review it first before releasing it to the public when you marked the scripts and saw massive failure in English? A group of inept officials
According to Carpe Diem, @esoonet, officials who are found to be responsible for the errors ought to be fired.
He stated, “President Bola Tinubu is not prepared to hold these incompetent individuals firmly before they destroy his dream for him if no one is held accountable and no resignations are made by Monday.”
A number of Nigerians, such as Kayode Abaniwonnda, Akabani2005, and Ade @I_am_Adedolapo_ _, expressed confusion at WAEC’s inability to carry out a thorough internal review of the results prior to making them public.
The public outcry was justified, according to NUT President Audu Amba, who asked for WAEC to start over because many students who passed other courses failed English language and math.
He criticized those who blamed teachers for the widespread failure, pointing instead to insufficient quality assurance, government money, family engagement, and student attitude.
Regarding the teaching profession, no teacher is appointed to teach who does not give it their all. Every teacher takes joy in imparting knowledge, according to Amba.
However, the instructor also requires help. The pupils come first. Would they even be open to learning? Are pupils now prepared to learn? The kids of today are different. By candlelight, we studied. Today, how many pupils would do that?
“Do parents check their children’s academic performances?” Amba questioned. How many parents question their kids about what they learned in school? A child should be aware that his parents will follow up if he doesn’t perform.
In addition to referring to deteriorating infrastructure and a lack of efficient oversight by pertinent government organizations, he questioned the political will of the government to invest in education in order to enhance the learning and teaching environment.
Thirdly, is there political will on the part of the government to properly support education? In many schools nowadays, classrooms are in poor condition, students sit on bare floors, and there are no teaching resources. Learning settings are subpar, and teachers are not given enough attention.
“In certain schools, teachers are not even provided with chairs to mark scripts. And what is the effectiveness of our education ministries’ Quality Assurance Departments? Do they have enough money? Ultimately, the teachers are held accountable. However, who hired them—the government or the owners of the schools?
Amba said the Council should have finished its internal inspections prior to the results being made public, but he praised WAEC for taking responsibility.
The Federal Ministry of Education has verified that the issue has been fixed in the meantime.
The Ministry praised WAEC for its prompt action, openness, and professionalism in handling the matter, according to a statement released on Thursday by Director of Press Folasade Boriowo.
Within the next 24 hours, updated results will be available through the result checker portal. Additionally, Boriowo expressed gratitude to the impacted applicants for their patience and reassured the public that the Ministry will continue to work toward justice and legitimacy in the evaluation process.
The development, she continued, is in line with the Minister’s larger reform strategy, which places a high priority on the integrity of examination boards, particularly WAEC and NECO.
She mentioned that both organizations would start implementing CBT for objective components in phases starting in November 2026.
The Ministry claims that the CBT program seeks to stop exam leaks, reduce misconduct, and rebuild public confidence in the testing process.
“It is an essential change to guarantee that Nigerian students are evaluated solely on the basis of their qualifications and that their credentials are respected both domestically and globally,” the statement continued.
