There was outrage across the country on Thursday after candidates of the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for School Candidates were denied access to their results due to technical issues on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) result portal.
WAEC, in a statement signed by its Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, confirmed that the Council discovered errors in the released results following an internal review, which prompted a temporary suspension of access to the portal.
The Council said the issue was linked to technical bugs discovered during a post-release quality check. It stated that the glitches affected the grading of some subjects, including Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics, which were serialised in line with anti-exam malpractice efforts.
“As part of our efforts to curb malpractice, the Council introduced a paper serialisation system in selected subjects,” the statement read.
“However, technical glitches were discovered in the backend after the results were released. To ensure fairness and professionalism, WAEC temporarily denied access to the results portal to correct these issues. Candidates who have checked earlier are advised to re-check after 24 hours.”
The Council apologised to affected candidates and the public, assuring that the results would be fully accessible once corrections are completed.
The statement came less than 24 hours after WAEC had announced a temporary shutdown of the result portal on its official X handle, citing “technical issues.”
Nationwide Reactions Trail WAEC Result Glitch
The incident triggered mixed reactions from key stakeholders including the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), National Association of Parent-Teacher Associations of Nigeria (NAPTAN), and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), who expressed concern over the Council’s handling of the results and the impact on candidates.
President of NAPTAN, Haruna Danjuma, commended WAEC for owning up to its mistake but described the planned full migration to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026 as unrealistic.
“It is good that WAEC acknowledged the error, but taking WASSCE and NECO fully digital without proper groundwork is impractical,” he said.
Danjuma cited challenges such as poor infrastructure, especially in rural schools, and low computer literacy among students as major concerns.
NANS Blasts WAEC, Demands Leadership Resignation
In a strong-worded reaction, NANS Assistant General Secretary, Adejuwon Olatunji, criticised WAEC for what he described as a major failure in leadership.
“This is not just a technical glitch. It’s a disgraceful failure of duty,” Olatunji said.
He accused the Council of introducing untested systems without backup plans, causing psychological trauma for students and parents.
“WAEC must take responsibility. Some students received wrong results. Some thought they failed. The Council later corrected it quietly. This is not acceptable.”
He also demanded that those responsible be sanctioned, saying WAEC cannot claim to uphold integrity while failing basic quality control.
Teachers’ Union Blames System, Not Teachers
President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Audu Amba, said the public anger was justified but warned against blaming teachers for the mass failure.
He said teachers were doing their best under difficult conditions and blamed the failure on poor learning environments, lack of monitoring, and student attitude.
“We studied by candlelight. Many of today’s students won’t do that. Parents must also play their role in monitoring academic performance,” he said.
Amba urged the government to increase funding for education and improve infrastructure in schools, especially as the country prepares for CBT-based exams by 2026.
Education Ministry Confirms Glitch Fixed, Supports CBT Transition
The Federal Ministry of Education has confirmed that the WAEC result portal issue has been resolved.
Director of Press, Folasade Boriowo, in a statement, commended WAEC for acting swiftly and transparently.
She said the glitch had been rectified and updated results would be available for candidates to access within 24 hours.
Boriowo reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to exam reform, saying WAEC and NECO would begin phased implementation of CBT for objective components from November 2026.
“This reform is to ensure transparency, end leakages, and restore credibility to Nigeria’s examination system,” she stated.
