The President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Yomi Otubela, has condemned the conduct of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) during night hours, describing it as inappropriate and damaging to students’ academic performance.
Otubela, who appeared on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, August 6, was reacting to the 2025 WASSCE results released by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), which showed a significant decline in performance across the country.
“We cannot overrule the fact that the condition in which the examination was taken in some states is not acceptable to us.
“The fact that children were taking exams late into the night with candles and torchlights cannot be a standard that will allow us to have commendable results,” Odubela said.
In May, several states, including Taraba and Ogun, came under public criticism after reports emerged that students sat for their WASSCE papers late into the night.
According to WAEC, the delay was due to intelligence received about a potential exam leak, prompting emergency changes.
The Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Amos Dangut, later apologised during an interview, calling the situation “regrettable” and promising reforms to prevent a recurrence.
Despite the chaotic exam conditions, Otubela applauded students who still managed to do well.
“I must commend children who, in spite of all the economic hardship and other challenges in preparing for the exam, came out with commendable results,” he said.
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However, he insisted that the poor performance, only 38.32 per cent of candidates scored credit and above in five subjects including English and Mathematics, compared to 72.12 per cent in 2024, reflected broader systemic failures in the education sector.
“The Head of National Office reported that the pass rate stood at about 38 per cent, the worst in about 15 years, from 2015 to date.
“The reason for this cannot be far-fetched from the many challenges facing education in our country,” Otubela noted.
He criticised the inadequate investment in teacher development and poor funding of the sector, warning that without immediate reforms, learning outcomes would continue to deteriorate.
“We have not paid sufficient attention to the capacity building of our teachers. In a few months, we’ll be celebrating World Teachers’ Day, yet there is little evidence of investment in teacher training to enhance mentoring of students,” he said.
Otubela also decried the infrastructural and digital divides affecting rural education.
“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.
He urged both private and public stakeholders to work together to fix the foundational issues plaguing the education system.