A wave of concern has swept across Lagos State following the revelation that 26,592 students from public secondary schools failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) — despite massive financial investment from the state government.
This alarming statistic was revealed on Thursday by the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, during a ministerial press briefing held at Alausa, Ikeja.
According to the Commissioner, out of the 58,188 students sponsored by the government to write the 2024 WASSCE, a troubling 45.7% failed the exams.
“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.
The government had fully covered the WAEC registration fees for the students in a bid to remove financial barriers and promote inclusive access to education. However, the poor performance has raised serious concerns over teaching quality, student preparedness, and the effectiveness of public school education in Lagos.
In response, the state is already taking steps to enhance accountability and ensure better outcomes going forward. The Commissioner disclosed that a biometric and image registration process was conducted to verify student eligibility and limit wastage of public funds.
“The exercise successfully captured and registered 56,134 students as bona-fide beneficiaries of the Lagos State Government’s sponsorship for the examination,” he said.