The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that it is withholding the results of 215,267 candidates who took the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) due to alleged examination malpractice.
This figure amounts to approximately 11.92% of all candidates who took the exam, a substantial decrease from the 16.29% of results that were withheld in 2023 due to similar circumstances.
Dr Amos Dangut, Head of the National Office, disclosed this during the announcement of the results in Lagos on Monday.
He attributed the withheld results to issues such as the increasing use of mobile phones in examination halls and organised cheating in some schools, adding that the cases are under investigation, and the outcomes will be communicated to the affected candidates through their schools.
“The withheld results of these candidates that sat for the examination are in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.
“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues.
“All the cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council, for consideration and final decisions,” he said.
Dr Dangut urged affected candidates to seek redress if they wish, and reiterated WAEC’s commitment to sanctioning examination malpractice. He called for cooperation from schools, supervisors, teachers, and candidates to maintain the integrity of the examination process.
A total of 1,814,736 candidates registered for the exam, with 1,805,216 actually sitting for it. The majority, 93.39%, have had their results processed and released, while 6.61% are still being processed due to unresolved issues. Of those who sat the exam, 73.79% obtained credit and above in at least five subjects, with 72.12% achieving this including English Language and Mathematics. This marks a 7.69% decrease in performance compared to 2023.
Special provision was made for 109,115 candidates with special needs, whose results have also been released. The examination faced challenges, including security issues in the Southeast, industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and financial difficulties due to inflation and fuel scarcity.
Dr Dangut noted concerns about some supervisors collaborating with rogue website operators to compromise exam standards, and assured that WAEC would take action against those involved in malpractice.
Candidates can check their results online via the website: http://www.waecdirect.org, and apply for their Digital Certificate 48 hours after checking.
Those sponsored by states that owe WAEC will not have their results released until payment is made. Hard copies of certificates for processed results will be available within 90 days.
