31,596 Students Failed 2024 WAEC In Lagos

The Lagos State Government has revealed that an alarming 31,596 public school students failed to pass the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), raising concerns throughout the state’s educational landscape.

Naijaonpoint reports that the statistics, presented by the Lagos Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, during a press conference on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, indicated that 54.3% of the 58,188 public school students who participated in the exams failed.

The commissioner noted that the pass rate stood at 45.7%. This high failure rate persists despite the substantial financial support from the state government, which allocated ₦1.577 billion to cover the WAEC fees for the students.

“Suffice to say that the sum of ₦1,577,794,000 (One Billion, Five Hundred and Seventy-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Ninety-Four Thousand Naira) only was paid by the State Government as examination fees for 58,188 students who were captured for year 2024 WASSCE,” Alli-Balogun announced.

In a bid to tighten accountability and avoid wastage, the Commissioner disclosed that biometric and image registration was carried out to accurately determine eligible students for government sponsorship for the 2025 WASSCE.

“The exercise successfully captured and registered 56,134 students as bona fide beneficiaries of the Lagos State Government’s sponsorship for the examination,” he added.

The Lagos State Government has initiated a significant educational intervention known as the Eko Learners’ Support Programme for WASSCE and NECO Candidates, which seeks to address the issue of academic underachievement in the public schools of the state.

This program was launched on January 14, 2025, as part of a larger effort by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to provide Lagos students with the necessary resources for academic success.

This innovative initiative is intended to support and empower young learners, reflecting the Ministry’s dedication to enhancing the educational system in Lagos State, as stated by Alli-Balogun.

He mentioned that the program aims to deliver 320 lessons across 10 essential subjects, including English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Government, History, Literature-in-English, and Yoruba, thereby providing high-quality tutoring directly to students’ homes.

Each 30-minute lesson will be broadcast on Lagos Television (LTV) and will also be available on major platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), thus establishing a digital learning library that is accessible to all students.

“It is a supportive eco-system that fosters academic achievement, creativity, critical thinking… every student deserves the opportunity to attain their full potential, regardless of their background or socio-economic status,” the Commissioner declared passionately.

Alli-Balogun urged students, especially those in boarding schools, to seize this opportunity.

“It is on this note that I urge and encourage students, more importantly, students in our boarding schools, to take full advantage of this initiative, as education is a lifelong journey,” he said.