The Lagos State Government is grappling with a serious education crisis as it reveals the shocking news of over half of public school students failing in the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, expressed deep concern over the disappointing performance, highlighting that only 45.7% of candidates managed to pass core subjects like English and Mathematics.
In a press briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja, commemorating Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term anniversary, Mr. Alli-Balogun disclosed that out of the 58,188 students sponsored by the state to undertake the exams, a staggering 26,592 students failed. This translates to a worrisome failure rate of 54.3%. Despite the significant financial investment made by the state government amounting to N1.58 billion for WAEC registration fees, the outcomes were far from satisfactory.
“Only 45.7% of candidates passed core subjects like English and Mathematics.”
The commissioner emphasized the substantial financial commitment made by the government to ensure that all eligible students could participate in the examinations without facing economic barriers. He stated that an enormous sum of N1,577,794,000 was disbursed for exam fees on behalf of these students.
To guarantee transparency and prevent fraud in sponsorship claims, biometric and image registration methods were implemented to verify 56,134 legitimate students who benefited from this subsidy. However, despite these measures put in place to streamline processes and enhance accountability in education support programs,
Mr. Alli-Balogun reiterated that such high failure rates are unacceptable and called for urgent reforms to address this downward trend before it becomes irreversible.
### Introducing Transformative Reforms
Acknowledging the critical need for immediate intervention to reverse this educational decline trend,
the Lagos State Government has rolled out a series of strategic reforms aimed at uplifting academic standards across public schools within its jurisdiction.
“Strategic reforms aim at empowering students through digital learning initiatives.”
Among these initiatives is the launch of the Eko Learners’ Support Programme designed specifically for WASSCE (West African Senior School Certificate Examination) and NECO (National Examinations Council) candidates. Launched on January 14th,
the program seeks to provide comprehensive educational support by broadcasting 320 lessons covering essential subjects such as English language,
Mathematics,
and core sciences via multiple platforms including traditional television broadcasts on Lagos Television (LTV), as well as modern social media channels such as YouTube.
“This forward-thinking program is tailored to empower our students by offering quality instruction directly into their homes,” Mr.
Alli-Balogun remarked enthusiastically during his announcement.
Leave feedback about this