Over 26,000 Lagos Students Failed 2024 WASSCE – Commissioner

The Lagos State Government has revealed that 26,592 students from public schools failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), raising serious concerns about academic performance across the state.

The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, made the disclosure during a ministerial press briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja on Thursday.

“45.7% of the 58,188 public school students who sat for the examination did not pass,” he stated.

This failure rate is alarming, especially considering the state government’s significant investment of ₦1.577 billion to cover WAEC registration fees for students.

“The sum of ₦1,577,794,000 was paid by the state government as examination fees for 58,188 students captured for the 2024 WASSCE,” Alli-Balogun noted.

To address the issue and prevent further financial waste, the commissioner announced that biometric and image registration will be introduced for the 2025 WASSCE, to verify and track legitimate beneficiaries of government sponsorship.

So far, 56,134 students have been successfully verified and registered for future sponsorship.

Eko Learners’ Support Programme Launched to Improve Performance

As part of broader educational reforms, the state government has launched the Eko Learners’ Support Programme, aimed at boosting the performance of WASSCE and NECO candidates in public schools.

Launched on January 14, 2025, the initiative is designed to empower students through 320 lessons across 10 core subjects, including:

• English
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Economics
• Government
• History
• Literature-in-English
• Yoruba

Each lesson, delivered in 30-minute episodes, will be broadcast on Lagos Television (LTV) and archived across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) to ensure easy access and long-term academic support.

“This forward-thinking initiative supports academic excellence and encourages creativity and critical thinking. Every student deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of their socio-economic background,” said Alli-Balogun.

He called on students—especially those in boarding schools—to fully embrace the programme.

“Education is a lifelong journey, and I encourage all students to take full advantage of this support system,” he added.

The Lagos State Government remains committed to transforming the education landscape by combining financial investment with digital learning innovations to improve student outcomes.