Senate summons Education Minister over mass failure in WAEC results


THE Senate has summoned the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, to appear before the Senator Aliyu Wamakko, APC, Sokoto North-led Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) to explain why Nigeria as a country has been experiencing mass failure in West African School Certificate Examinations, WASSCE.


The Minister is expected to explain the causes of WAEC recurring mass failure rate and recommend appropriate measures to overcome the challenge. 


The Committee will at the end of the session, submit a comprehensive report to the Senate at plenary within one month. Also to appear before the Senate Committee are the Head, National Office of WAEC and any relevant stakeholder connected with the problem. Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion by Senator Umaru Kurfi, APC, Katsina Central and entitled, “Need to address recurring mass failure in West African Examination School Certificate Examinations.” 

Presenting the motion, Senator Kurfi noted that “There are established recurring cases of mass failure in West African School Certificate Examinations  in the country since 2009 or thereabout which is embarrassing to the nation and prejudicial to the interest of Nigeria secondary school students and parents. WASSCE failure rates continues to increase each year as evidence of failure of measures taken, if any, by the education authorities over the years.” 

He, however expressed worry that “in both 2009 and 2010 WASSCE only 25.99 and 24.94 per cent respectively passed with five credits including Mathematics and English, while the remaining others constituting 70 per cent failed.” According to Senator Kurfi, ‘’In 2011 May/June WASSCE, only 649, 159 out of 1, 672, 224 candidates that wrote the examinations which represents just 38.81 per cent got five credits and above including in the core subjects of Mathematics and English Language.  In 2013 WASSCE, only 29.17 per cent candidates actually passed the November/December WAEC examinations while 70 per cent failed. 

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