The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has withheld the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results of 262,803 candidates.
The exam spanned seven weeks from May 8 to June 23, 2023.
Addressing reporters on Monday in Lagos, WAEC’s Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO), Patrick Areghan, said, the withheld results represented 16.29% of the total 1,613,733 candidates that sat the examination.
According to him: “The results of 262,803 candidates, representing 16.29% of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, are being withheld in connection with various reported cases of examination malpractice. This is (6.54%) lower than the 22.83% recorded in the WASSCE for School Candidates, 2022.
“The reasons for this are not far-fetched. Candidates are no longer ready to study, they lack self-confidence, and their preparations for examinations are poor. There is over-reliance on the so-called ‘Expo’, which is non-existent. Candidates got frustrated when they got to the examination hall and discovered that all they had celebrated was fake.”
He said the council would continue to sanction cases of examination malpractice, advising parents to stop funding the so-called “expo” (illegal scouting for question papers outside of examination halls) for their children.