WAEC: Parents demand cancellation of English Language

Outrage continues to trail the mass failure recorded in this year’s Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE), with parents, educators, and civil society groups demanding an investigation into the process and even a cancellation of the English Language paper

The uproar follows the release of results by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), showing that only 38.32% of candidates passed English and Mathematics with credit—the two core subjects required for university admission in Nigeria.

One of the loudest voices has come from the Concerned Parents and Educators Network (CPE), which condemned the nighttime conduct of some of the exams, especially English, calling it unacceptable and a gross failure of the system.

In a passionate post shared on the platform, Adegoke Bimpe Atoke wrote:
“Almighty WAEC has done it again. Mass failure in Mathematics and English. 450-word essays written with a phone torchlight at 10:30 pm under the rain, with candidates swatting mosquitoes. How did we arrive here? Our systems need urgent, strategic reform. If WAEC has lost relevance, we need a better mechanism.”

Similarly, Abiodun Adesanya Adeleke insisted the English Language paper should be retaken, saying:

“Students were writing exams till past 9:00 pm, using torchlight, in mosquito-infested classes. How is that a standardised exam?”

Others questioned the accountability of both WAEC and the schools involved. Adebayo Ifeoluwa, a teacher in a Lagos public school, said:

“In my school, exams started and ended on time. No paper is scheduled for the night. So where did things go wrong? Who’s responsible?”

Rex Oscar also argued that blaming students alone is unfair.

“Some people will say students didn’t read. That’s not the full story. Even those who did well in JAMB failed English. Over 70% can’t all be unserious. The government needs to investigate this mess.”

In another reaction, Adetoun Aremu called for both English and Mathematics papers to be rewritten, while Ifeoma Eucharia lamented that despite the suffering students endured, they still failed.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) has also condemned the late-night examination sessions, describing them as “unacceptable and detrimental to students’ performance.”

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