Over 26,000 Lagos Students Fail 2024 WASSCE Despite N1.5bn Government Sponsorship
The Lagos State Government has revealed that 26,592 public school students failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), sparking concern across the education sector.
Speaking at a ministerial press briefing on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, disclosed that 45.7% of the 58,188 students who sat for the exams did not pass—despite a state-funded payment of N1.577 billion to cover their WAEC registration fees.
To ensure more efficient use of government resources in future exams, the state implemented biometric and image-based verification to identify qualified beneficiaries. As a result, 56,134 students have been confirmed eligible for the 2025 WASSCE sponsorship.
In response to the alarming failure rate, the Lagos State Government has introduced a major educational intervention: the Eko Learners’ Support Programme, launched on January 14, 2025. The initiative is designed to enhance academic performance among WASSCE and NECO candidates in public schools.
According to Alli-Balogun, the programme will feature 320 pre-recorded lessons covering 10 core subjects, including English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Government, History, Literature-in-English, and Yoruba. Each 30-minute lesson will be broadcast on Lagos Television and made available on digital platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), creating an easily accessible learning library for students.
“This supportive ecosystem fosters academic achievement, creativity, and critical thinking,” the commissioner said. “Every student deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, regardless of background or socio-economic status.”
He urged students, particularly those in boarding schools, to make full use of the resources now available, emphasizing that education remains a lifelong journey.