Education in Nigeria
Over 31,000 Lagos Students Fail 2024 WASSCE Despite N1.5bn Govt Support
Despite investing over N1.5 billion in examination fees, the Lagos State Government has revealed that more than 31,000 students from public secondary schools failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
This was disclosed on Thursday by the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing held at Alausa, Ikeja.
Alli-Balogun reported that the state paid a total of N1,577,794,000 to cover exam registration for 58,188 eligible students under its free education policy. However, only 26,592 candidates passed the exams, meaning 31,596 students—more than half—recorded failure.
The commissioner described the development as worrisome and emphasized the need to review the implementation of the subsidy. “We must continue supporting parents, but we also need to ensure only academically prepared students benefit from this initiative to avoid waste,” he said.
In response to the poor results, the state has begun deploying targeted interventions to improve academic performance. One such measure is the Eko Learners’ Support Programme, launched on January 14, 2025, aimed at strengthening exam preparedness for students sitting WASSCE and NECO.
In a broader effort to reform the education sector, the commissioner also revealed that approximately 30,000 out-of-school children had been reintegrated into public schools within the year under review.
On teacher welfare, Alli-Balogun announced that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu approved N102.5 million in housing loan disbursements for 2024. This sum was used to clear 25 outstanding applications from 2020 and approve 93 new beneficiaries this year.
He further noted that a total of 4,353 teachers were recruited between 2023 and 2024, and posted across the state’s educational districts and the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) to strengthen manpower and improve learning outcomes.
In a related briefing, Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr. Tolani Sule, disclosed that Lagos is actively repositioning its tertiary institutions to better align with the state’s development priorities and economic goals.
