Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Labour Party in the 2023 election, voiced his reservations over the results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) this year on Monday.
Thank you for visiting The Vestigator, don't forget to share!
Performance was 7.69% lower than it was a year ago, according to the data that were made public last week. Obi referenced a report in a discussion on his X handle that showed that, compared to previous year’s 79.81%, just 72.12% of candidates received credits in five areas, including English language and mathematics.
He blamed Nigeria’s underfunding of vital sectors like health, education, and poverty alleviation for this downturn. The former governor of Anambra State expressed disapproval over the funding for the education sector, claiming that the N330.3 billion total capital investment was egregiously insufficient for a nation that had 23,550 secondary schools and over 81,520 basic schools.
“The alarming lack of investment in the crucial areas of development, education, health, and lifting people out of poverty is reinforced by the recent announcement by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) that it recorded a 7.69 percent decrease in the performance of candidates who sat for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria,” the author wrote. He also emphasised Nigeria’s literacy rate, which, although reported to be above 50%, comes in at number 187 on the world literacy index. Even though we claim to have a literacy rate of over 50%, we are still rated 187th globally, which indicates a clear lack of dedication to education in the nation.
Like other important areas, education continues to receive inadequate funding from us. N330.3 billion was allotted for capital expenditures across the board for the education sector, including the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Such an amount is obviously low for a nation with roughly 81,520 primary schools and 23,550 secondary schools, Obi continued.
