In Nigeria, academic success is more than just a personal milestone. It is a family expectation, a community symbol, and often, a perceived escape route from poverty. From primary school to university, students are taught that grades are everything. “First class or nothing” has become a mantra in countless homes, yet beneath the surface of report cards and honour rolls lies a quiet crisis: students are buckling under the weight of performance pressure, and many are suffering in silence.
Parents, teachers, and institutions push for high academic output, but little attention is paid to the psychological cost of this constant demand for excellence. While grades are used as a measure of intelligence, discipline, and future potential, the human being behind those grades is often overlooked. The result? A growing number of young Nigerians battling anxiety, depression, burnout, and in severe cases, suicidal thoughts, just because they couldn’t meet academic expectations.
The grade obsession culture is something to be worried about. The truth remains that academic excellence is considered the ultimate proof of a child’s worth in many households. A child’s intelligence is measured by their grades, while failures are often treated as personal defects. Parents compare report cards like trophies. Teachers reward only the top three (mostly). These environments create a culture where students internalise success as synonymous with grades and nothing else. In reality, academic performance is influenced by many factors: learning styles, socioeconomic background, access to resources, and even mental health. But in Nigeria, few stakeholders consider these nuances. It’s all about the final score.
The most alarming consequence of performance pressure is the toll it takes on students’ mental health. According to a 2022 study published in the Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, over 60% of university students surveyed reported symptoms of academic-related anxiety and stress. Another study by the University of Ibadan revealed that a significant percentage of undergraduates struggle with sleep deprivation, depression, and low self-esteem caused by academic demands.
Yet, mental health remains poorly addressed in most Nigerian schools. Very few institutions offer counselling services, and when they do, the services are either inaccessible, underfunded, or stigmatised. Students suffering emotional distress are often told to “pray about it” or to “man up”, further deepening their sense of isolation.
Today’s students are not just competing with classmates, they are also competing with their peers on social media. Platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter are filled with posts celebrating academic awards, first-class degrees, international scholarships, and startup launches. While these achievements are commendable, they often contribute to a toxic comparison culture. A student who is struggling academically may begin to feel like a failure simply because they do not match up to what they see online. This constant comparison cultivates imposter syndrome, where students feel like they’re not good enough despite their efforts. In extreme cases, it fuels a sense of despair leading to withdrawal, breakdowns, and even self-harm.
To meet high academic expectations, many Nigerian students adopt harmful study habits. All-night reading (popularly called “TDB”—Till Day Break), excessive caffeine intake, and the misuse of stimulants like tramadol and codeine are common among students preparing for exams. While these practices may produce short-term results, they are unsustainable and damaging in the long run. Sleep deprivation alone has been linked to poor concentration, reduced memory retention, and increased risk of mental health issues. Unfortunately, students feel they have no choice because failure is not just academic, it’s seen as shameful.
Parents, though often well-meaning, can be a significant source of academic pressure. Many impose career paths such as medicine, law, and engineering without considering their child’s strengths or interests. The child is left to either conform or risk disappointment, rejection, or punishment. In some cases, students remain in courses they hate just to meet expectations.
Institutions are not blameless either. Universities are often rigid, with poor lecturer-student relationships, limited support systems, and archaic assessment methods that prioritise rote learning over creativity or critical thinking. A failed course can sometimes mean repeating an entire academic year, fuelling more frustration and fear.
As a result, high-stakes environments increase the likelihood of unethical behaviour. Students who feel that grades define their future are more likely to cheat during exams believing that the end justifies the means. According to WAEC’s 2023 report, over 262,000 results were withheld due to suspicion of malpractice. This isn’t just a failure of morals, it’s a reflection of a system that puts results over integrity, and pressure over genuine learning. Until we reduce the obsession with grades, academic dishonesty will remain a problem.
What Nigerian students need is a more balanced, humane, and supportive education system. We must move from grade-centred learning to value-centred education. This involves redefining success to include creativity, emotional intelligence, communication skills, resilience, and ethics, training teachers to support mental wellness alongside academic performance, incorporating counselling and mentorship into every school’s structure, not as an afterthought but as a core service, encouraging parents to listen, not just demand to understand their children’s learning styles, struggles, and strengths, and using assessments that go beyond regurgitation of facts and reward actual understanding and innovation.
Academic performance will always be important, but it must not come at the cost of students’ mental health, identity, and joy of learning. Nigeria must shift from a system that sees grades as the sole evidence of potential, to one that recognises and nurtures the whole child.
