Shocking as Over 31,500 Public School Students Fail 2024 WASSCE in Lagos Despite N1.5bn Govt Funding

By: Israel Adeleke

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the Lagos State Government on Thursday revealed that 31,596 students from public secondary schools failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), adding that they failed woefully despite the government ₦1,577,794,000 funding to support the students.

OTN News further reports that the disclosure which was made known during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, where the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, presented the education sector’s scorecard under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, sparked concern over the state of education in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

According to him, the government had spent a total of ₦1,577,794,000 to cover examination fees for 58,188 bona fide students under its free education initiative. 

Despite this significant investment, more than half of the sponsored candidates failed the examination raising questions about the quality of instruction and student preparedness in Lagos public schools, Alli-Balogun added.

The Commissioner, however, speaking on the recent year moves, explained that the state introduced a biometric and image registration process for all Senior Secondary III students in order to ensure transparency and avoid duplication

He claimed that the initiative verified and registered 56,134 students as eligible beneficiaries for the 2025 WASSCE sponsorship.

He said, “The state government is committed to relieving parents of the burden of exam fees, but we must also prevent wastage by ensuring only qualified students benefit from this programme.”

Alli-Balogun also disclosed that about 30,000 out-of-school children had been re-enrolled in public schools across Lagos during the review period, as part of efforts to reduce the social and economic consequences of youth disengagement.

He said this initiative aligns with the Education and Technology pillar of the administration’s T.H.E.M.E.S+ agenda.

“We’ve introduced strategic interventions to address declining performances in WASSCE and other external examinations. Innovative solutions are being implemented, and we continue to invest heavily in education,” he said.

Subsequently, the commissioner highlighted the Eko Learners’ Support Programme, launched on January 14, 2025, as a targeted intervention to support candidates preparing for WASSCE and NECO examinations.