The Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election ,Peter Obi, on Monday, expressed concerns over this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.
The results released last week showed a 7.69% decrease in performance compared to last year.
In a thread on his X handle, Obi cited report which revealed that only 72.12% of candidates obtained credits in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, a significant drop from last year’s 79.81%.
He attributed this decline to Nigeria’s insufficient investment in critical areas like education, health, and poverty alleviation.
The former Anambra State governor criticized the allocation of funds to the education sector, stating that the total capital expenditure of N330.3 billion was grossly inadequate for a country with over 81,520 primary schools and 23,550 secondary schools.
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He wrote: “The recent announcement by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) that it recorded a 7.69 percent decrease in the performance of candidates who sat for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria reaffirms the worrying lack of investment in the critical areas of development, education, health and pulling people out of poverty.”
He also highlighted Nigeria’s literacy rate, which, despite being claimed to be over 50%, ranks the country 187th on the global literacy scale.
“With our claimed literacy rate of over 50%, we are still ranked 187 on the global scale of literacy, reflecting a visible lack of commitment to education in the country. Our investment in education, as with other critical areas, remains poor.
“A total capital expenditure for the entire education sector, including the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), was allocated N330.3 billion. For a country with about 81,520 schools at the primary level and 23,550 schools at the secondary level, such an amount is visibly poor,” Obi added.
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