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By John Ogunsemore
The 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has expressed concern following the West African Examinations Council (WAEC)’s announcement 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.
Last Monday, Head of Nigerian National Office (HNO) of WAEC, Dr. Amos Dangut disclosed that 72.12 percent of candidates obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, in this year’s exam, compared to last year’s 79.81 per cent.
In a statement released today, Obi said the 7.69 percent decline indicated a worrying lack of investment in the critical areas of development, education, health and pulling people out of poverty.
“This constant decline in our educational performance and other critical areas demands urgent attention and action.
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“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,” he said.
The former Anambra governor said his administration made “aggressive investment” in education which greatly transformed education in the state and still bears fruits to this day.
He congratulated all the students who sat for the 2024 WASSCE, especially those who made impressive results, applauding their efforts, hard work, and dedication to their studies, which paid off.
“And to their respective schools, management, staff, and teachers – I especially celebrate you all. Your contributions to the educational growth and overall development of our society remain laudable,” Obi said.
