WAEC 2025 Results: How to Prevent Another Crisis

The 2025 WAEC crisis created significant disruption in West Africa’s education system, revealing fundamental issues in exam administration, logistics, and technological resources.

After resolving the crisis related to the release of the 2025 WASSCE, it is crucial to consider WAEC’s future actions.

On Friday, August 8, WAEC revealed that the council identified certain inconsistencies in the grading of serialized papers, following the announcement of the 2025 WASSCE results, which showed noticeable performance declines.

Amos Dangut, the head of the national office at WAEC, Nigeria, explained that the council thoroughly examined all serialized papers, including Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics Objective Papers, and found that an incorrect serialized code file was used when printing the English Language Objective Tests (Paper 3), leading to incorrect scoring.

Dangut stated, “The noticeable decline in candidates’ performance previously announced was partly linked to this unfortunate situation.”

Jessica Osuere, CEO of RubiesHub Educational Services, remarked that the recent events related to WAEC indicated a significant underlying problem within the system.

Osuere stressed that such leaks originated internally, highlighting that WAEC is a regional examination body and the leakage occurred solely in Nigeria, where students were compelled to take some exams at night in a manner reminiscent of covert operations, resulting in an unexpected rise in the national pass rate from 39 percent to 69 percent.

“WAEC must provide Nigerians with an explanation on why the Council published the results knowing there was a widespread failure, only to later revise them after instilling panic and distress in students and their families.

“This situation could have been avoided entirely. Implementing encrypted question delivery, last-minute printing, multiple versions of papers, along with rigorous insider monitoring, could have spared us from this drama. Instead, one of our major national examinations resembled a suspenseful film,” she stated.

Regarding the sudden increase in the pass rate, she commented, “I believe WAEC simply adjusted the results, fully aware of their missteps across the board.”

Osuere suggested that moving forward, the council should adopt a technology-secure system, ensure public disclosure of the identities of those responsible for the leak, and stop considering exam security as an afterthought. “Otherwise, each results release will be accompanied by skepticism,” she observed.

Gift Osikoya, a teacher, criticized WAEC for not implementing precautionary measures to prevent the leak of exam papers and the ensuing late exams.

She mentioned that, based on reports, the English Language paper was leaked days before the exam, allegedly due to inadequate safeguards during the printing and distribution processes.

Osikoya stressed the importance of stronger security measures surrounding printing and distribution.

“Investigators uncovered a group operating via WhatsApp and Telegram, charging students up to N4,000 each for access to the leaked exam papers.

“Implementing strict tracking during the printing, packaging, and delivery phases, such as tamper-proof seals, authorized couriers, and GPS monitoring, could have reduced unauthorized access,” she explained.

Additionally, she maintained that a system for cross-checking from multiple sources and prompt response teams should have been established to prevent such incidents.

“Although WAEC did quickly reprint the papers after identifying the leak, more proactive internal audits and rapid task force deployment could have prevented delays and facilitated swift remediation.

“If these measures had been consistently applied, the English paper leak, along with the resulting confusion that saw students writing late into the night with torches, might have been avoided,” she added.

Osikoya asserted that the best path forward involves a public inquiry and accountability, urging the Council to reassess the grading of affected students and provide psychological support for them.

“WAEC should conduct a thorough investigation into the leak and the marking mistakes. Those responsible, if identified, must be held accountable to restore trust.

“It’s essential to ensure that anyone unfairly affected has means for recourse, results are accurately verified, and the distress of students who faced difficult examination conditions—some taking exams late into the night under torchlight, amidst rain, and in mosquito-infested environments—is addressed,” she remarked.

To prevent a repeat of such issues, Adeola Eze encouraged examination bodies to implement strict pre-release testing, simulating the results release under actual conditions to detect and rectify technical failures prior to notifying candidates.

“When errors are identified, there should be clear errata protocols, issuing formal ‘result correction notices’ that explain the issue, outline the resolution, and assure candidates that the correction is definitive,” Eze suggested.

Nevertheless, stakeholders believe that a practical medium- and long-term reform strategy for WAEC should include the adoption of computer-based testing (CBT) where possible, reducing dependence on paper exams to improve both security and fairness.

Furthermore, they recommend that the council enhance its logistics and infrastructure to ensure timely distribution, sufficient power supply, and improved supervision, particularly in rural or under-resourced areas.

Osikoya highlighted the necessity for training teachers and examiners. “This would enhance capacity through continuous professional development to reduce human errors in marking or managing serialised codes,” she pointed out.