WAEC & NECO: Lagos Govt Worried as Students’ Performance Drops—Urgent Action Needed!

Lagos State’s Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Tolani Alli-Balogun, has challenged the school principals to be more alive and dedicated to their duties in light of the state-owned schools’ students’ deteriorating performance in the Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE), which are administered by the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

In a recent strategic meeting, the commissioner voiced the concern to the principals of each of the six state education districts’ permanent secretary-tutor-generals and their respective schools.

He claimed that the state government’s massive investment in education throughout the state, and in them specifically, was not justified by the kids’ success on external tests, particularly the most recent school-based WASSCE.

The registration expenses for all SS3 students at state-owned institutions to take the WAEC exam are covered by the Lagos State government as part of its free education program at the primary and secondary school levels. These fees often total billions of Naira annually.

However, if a student wants to take the NECO exam, they must register for it on their own.

Alli-Balogun emphasized that the state government expects school administrators and students throughout the state to witness an improvement in their performance on external tests rather than a decline, as it has recently. However, he did not provide the WAEC exam results figures for the students.

In a statement sent by the ministry’s head of public affairs, Mr. Kayode Sutton, the commissioner did, however, provide a few suggestions that would aid in resolving the issue and producing favorable outcomes.
He believes that only pupils who are academically qualified to take the SSCE should be promoted, rather than those who are promoted automatically from SS2 to SS3.

According to him, this move would encourage final-year students to put in greater effort and dedication in their studies, which would guarantee their promotion to the terminal class and their eligibility for the free SSCE exam.

As a result, he continued, there would be healthy competition and better performance from all students on the public tests, which would also have an impact on the state’s overall educational standards.

The commissioner also encouraged the principals to bring back several additional activities that could improve the children’s learning capacities and improve their physical and emotional health.

He listed extracurricular activities including athletics, debate and essay contests, crafts, music, theater, and so on.