The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the results of 215,267 candidates who sat for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates over alleged malpractice.

The WAEC Head of National Office, Dr Amos Dangut, stated this while announcing the WASSCE results in Lagos State on Monday, August 12, 2024.

Dangut said the number represents 11.92 per cent of candidates who sat for the examination.

He noted that the figure was 4.37 per cent lower than the 16.29 per cent recorded in 2023.

The WAEC boss said: “The withheld results of these candidates that sat for the examination are in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice.

“The increasing use of cell phones in the examination hall, in spite of the existing ban and organised cheating in some schools, are other nagging issues.

How to check 2024 WASSCE results

“All the cases are being investigated and reports of the investigations will be presented to the appropriate committee of the council, for consideration and final decisions.”

Dangut added that the committee’s decisions would be communicated to the affected candidates through their various schools in due course.

He urged candidates affected by the decisions to call for redress of their cases, if they so wished, via https://waecinternational.org.

Dangut stated that WAEC will continue to sanction all cases of examination malpractice, saying schools, supervisors, teachers, and candidates perpetrating the act were not helping the educational system.

Giving a further breakdown of the results, Dangut said a total of 1,814,736 candidates registered for the examination from 25,126 secondary schools in the country.

The WAEC boss noted that of the total number of candidates that sat for the examination, 896,894 are male, while 908,322 others are female, representing 49.68 per cent and 50.32 per cent, respectively.

He added that of the 1,814,736 candidates who registered for the examination, only 1,805,216 sat the examination.

He noted that the examination was also administered to candidates from some schools in Benin Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, and Equatorial Guinea, where the Nigerian curriculum for senior secondary schools was being used.

Dangut said: “Out of the total number of candidates that sat the examination in Nigeria, 1,685,889 candidates, representing 93.39 per cent have their results fully processed and released while 119,327 others, representing 6.61 per cent, have one or more of their subjects still being processed, due to some issues being resolved.

“Efforts are, however, speedily ongoing to complete the process and release the affected candidates’ results within a couple of days.”

WAEC releases 2024 WASSCE results

According to him, the analysis of statistics of candidates’ performance in the examination shows that out of the 1,805,216 candidates that sat for the examination, 1,332,089 representing 73.79 per cent obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects.

He explained that this was with or without English Language and or Mathematics.

Speaking further, the WAEC boss said 1,301,941 candidates, representing 72.12 per cent obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics.

Dangut added: “Of this number, 628,820, that is, 48.30 per cent are male candidates, while 673,121 representing 51.70 per cent are female candidates.

“A comparison of the percentage of candidates in this category in WASSCE for School, 2023 and 2024, reveals that in 2024 WASSCE, there is 7.69 per cent decrease in performance.

“That is when compared with those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, which was 79.81 per cent.”

Dangut stated that a total of 109,115 candidates with varying degrees of Special Needs registered for the examination.

According to him, of the number, 145 are visually challenged, 473 have impaired hearing, 44 are spastic cum mentally challenged, while 38 are physically challenged.

“The results of these candidates have been processed and are also now being released along with those of other candidates,” he said.

The Star