58% Failure Recorded in Private Candidates’ Exams: WAEC

The West African Examinations Council has announced that not less than 30,954 candidates, representing 42.16%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, in the 2022 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, second series, for private candidates.

According to the examining body, the WASSCE 2022 second series for private candidates was conducted in Nigeria between Monday, October 31 and Thursday, December 15.

Head of National Office, WAEC, Yaba, Mr Patrick Areghan, in a statement issued by the public affairs department on Friday, gave a breakdown of the results.

He noted that out of a total of 73,424 candidates that sat for the examination, a total of 72,265, representing 98.42 per cent had their results fully processed and released.

He unveiled that “77,768 candidates representing a 31.88% increase, when compared with the 2021 entry figure, while 73,424 candidates sat the examination at 638 centres spread across the nooks and crannies of the country.”

He added, “Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, 72,265 candidates, representing 98.42%, have their results fully processed and released. In contrast, 1,159 candidates, representing 1.58%, have a few of their subjects still being processed due to some errors on the part of the candidates. However, efforts are being made to complete the processing to enable all the affected candidates get their full results.

“The analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates shows that out of the 73,424 candidates that sat the examination, 42,405 candidates representing 57.75%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, with or without English Language and/or Mathematics.

“30,954 candidates representing 42.16%, obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

“Of this number, 15,070, i.e., 48.69%, were male candidates, while 15,884, i.e., 51.31%, were female candidates. The percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for private candidates, 2021, that is, those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, was 48.61%. Thus, there is a marginal decrease of 6.45% in the performance over that of 2021.”

While giving the reason for the above decline in candidates that obtained five credits including English language and Mathematics, Mr Areghan explained, “This analysis, however, cannot be compared with that of the WASSCE for school candidates. Whereas the candidate in the WASSCE for the School Candidates Examination is compelled to sit eight or nine subjects, the candidate in the WASSCE for private candidates examination, though can register for eight or nine subjects, is not compelled to take all.

“He/she is free to sit, even one subject, depending on the deficiency he/she wants to remedy. For him/her, therefore, the examination is only a remedial one – a remedy for an existing deficiency. From the above, it will not be true or fair to say that the performance in this examination has dwindled.”

He added that 77,768 candidates (representing a 31.88% increase, when compared with the 2021 entry figure) entered the examination, while 73,424 candidates sat the examination at 638 centres spread across the nooks and crannies of the country.

He noted of the total candidates that sat for WASSCE, 36,141 were males and 37,283 were females, representing 49.22% and 50.78%, respectively. He added that provisions were made for the 143 with various degrees of special needs.

Areghan called on candidates that sat for WASSCE to visit the body’s website for their results and certificates.

Source