There was widespread outrage on Thursday following the West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC) decision to deny candidates access to the results portal for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates.

The backlash came in response to the Council’s announcement that it had suspended access to the result checker portal due to technical glitches discovered in its backend systems, barely 24 hours after it initially cited “technical issues” via its official X handle.

In a statement issued by the Head of Public Affairs, WAEC National Office, Moyosola Adesina, the Council explained that it identified bugs in the system after a post-release review of the 2025 WASSCE results. As a result, access to the result checker portal was temporarily blocked.

Reason for blocking

The Council revealed that the issue stemmed from its recent innovation to curb exam malpractice through paper serialisation, a method already being used by another national examination body. It was applied to Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics.

WAEC noted that while the approach aligned with global assessment standards, internal post-release quality checks exposed technical faults in the results.

The statement read in part, “The West African Examinations Council sincerely regrets to inform the general public of technical issues discovered during the internal review of the recently released results of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates, 2025.

“As part of our efforts to curb malpractice, the Council embarked on an innovation, paper serialisation, already deployed by a national examination body. It is worth noting that this is in line with best assessment practices. The paper serialisation was carried out in Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics. However, an internal post-release procedure revealed some technical bugs in the results.

“The Council, being a responsive body that is sensitive to fairness and professionalism, has decided to urgently review and correct the technical glitches that led to the situation. As a result, access to the WASSCE SC 2025 results has been temporarily denied on the result checker portal.

“We extend our deep and sincere apologies to all affected candidates and the general public. We appreciate their patience and understanding as we work diligently to resolve this matter with transparency and urgency within the next 24 hours. On this note, candidates who have previously checked their results are advised to re-check after 24 hours from now.”

The development came just days after the Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, disclosed that only 38.32 per cent of the 1,969,313 candidates who sat the 2025 WASSCE obtained credits and above in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, a figure described as the worst in a decade. The low pass rate had already stirred national concern before the portal issues compounded the situation.

Stakeholders reacted

Stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Teachers, the National Association of Parent-Teacher Associations of Nigeria, and the National Association of Nigerian Students, have since reacted sharply to WAEC’s handling of the situation.

The National President of NAPTAN, Haruna Danjuma, acknowledged WAEC’s willingness to admit fault but questioned the Council’s capacity to handle full digital transition for external examinations.

He said it was commendable that WAEC accepted responsibility but described the proposed shift to full Computer-Based Testing for WASSCE and NECO as impracticable.

“It is good for whoever made a mistake to acknowledge it. But this idea of moving WASSCE and NECO entirely to CBT is unrealistic,” he said.

Danjuma stressed that the major barriers remained inadequate infrastructure and low computer literacy levels among students, especially in rural areas.

He added, “If truly we want our children to succeed in CBT, let the government at all levels provide computers in schools and ensure students become computer-literate.

“Right now, about 80 to 90 per cent of students, especially in rural areas, are not computer literate. If WAEC and NECO are going CBT in 2026, let governors start equipping schools now, maybe begin with SS2. That way, we can start seeing changes.”

NANS reaction

On its part, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) came down hard on WAEC, accusing the Council of incompetence and mismanagement.

The NANS Assistant General Secretary, Adejuwon Olatunji, described WAEC’s failure to properly test its systems before releasing results as a show of failed leadership. He argued that the situation had caused unnecessary psychological distress for candidates and their families.

“This incident is not just regrettable; it is a clear sign that the leadership of WAEC has failed,” Olatunji said.

“For an exam body responsible for millions of West African students, there’s no excuse for this level of incompetence. Introducing new systems without proper testing or backup plans shows disregard for the emotional, academic, and financial impact on candidates.

“The result checker portal is not a minor tool, it’s the final step in a long academic journey. Any glitch at that stage is an unforgivable failure.”

Olatunji rejected WAEC’s apology, calling instead for disciplinary actions against those responsible for the technical mishap.

He said, “Students received the wrong results. Some couldn’t access theirs. Others were misled into thinking they had failed. And now, WAEC quietly makes corrections.

“This is about more than tech failure. It’s failed leadership, poor oversight, and no accountability. The Head of WAEC must go. One blunder too many.

“The Council withheld over 192,000 results for alleged malpractice, yet it couldn’t even get its process right. If WAEC wants to enforce integrity, it must start with itself.”

He concluded by demanding a change in WAEC’s leadership structure, adding, “This is a call for accountability. The WAEC leadership has proven unfit to manage an institution this vital. We demand change, competent, transparent, and responsible leadership. Our education system must not be a haven for carelessness.”