Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO) of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has refuted allegations that technical disruptions compromised the 2026 WASSCE outcomes. WASSCE stands for West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
Dangut asserted that the council’s evaluation, computation, and standardization protocols remain trustworthy, encouraging dissatisfied parties with grievances regarding the outcomes to request explanations directly from WAEC. He made these remarks Thursday evening during an online forum hosted by the Education Writers Association of Nigeria, titled ‘Addressing Concerns Over 2026 WASSCE Results, Other Matters’.
Dangut requested that the public ignore unsubstantiated rumors spreading across digital platforms and contact the organization directly regarding questions about students’ scores.
He noted that WAEC implemented significant advancements in administering the test, such as digital evaluations alongside the shuffling and unique ordering of test items, to bolster the reliability of WASSCE.
He added that migrating toward tech-centered assessments helped curb academic dishonesty while boosting the trust placed in the assessment.
“The reforms introduced by WAEC have strengthened the examination process, reduced opportunities for malpractice and enhanced the credibility, transparency and integrity of WASSCE results,” he said.
The HNO revealed that test infractions decreased from 9.97 per cent in 2025 to 8.59 per cent in 2026, characterizing this decline as a constructive development stemming from their modernizations.
“The reduction in examination malpractice should be viewed as one of the positive outcomes of reforms introduced by WAEC to strengthen the credibility and integrity of WASSCE.”
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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) notes that various academic institutions, parents, and community members expressed anxiety over the diminished scores received by 2026 WASSCE participants, especially in English Language and Mathematics.
Several institutions claimed the marks failed to align with their students’ historical records, trial test performances, or past achievements.
Their anxieties focused on suspected software errors and potential discrepancies in score generation.
During the web conference, the Principal of Babcock School, Remo, Ogun, Mr. Fatola Samson, characterized the recent WASSCE scores as the lowest witnessed by the institution throughout its 31-year history.
Samson shared that 190 pupils from the institution took the test, yet merely 27 attained acceptable outcomes, with numerous students failing subjects like Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.
Concerned parties urged WAEC to re-examine the scores, particularly for students whose performance diverged significantly from their prior academic achievements.
