Lagos: Over 31,000 Students Fail 2024 WASSCE Despite ₦1.5bn Funding
The Lagos State Government has revealed that 31,596 students from public secondary schools failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), sparking major concern over the quality of education.
At the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing in Alausa, Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Alli-Balogun, announced that the government spent ₦1,577,794,000 to cover exam fees for 58,188 students under its free education initiative. Despite this, more than half of the candidates failed.
Alli-Balogun emphasized the need to prevent wastage by ensuring only qualified students benefit from government sponsorships. He also reported that 30,000 out-of-school children were re-enrolled in Lagos public schools during the review period.
To address the poor results, the state has launched interventions such as the Eko Learners’ Support Programme (January 14, 2025), aimed at improving WASSCE and NECO outcomes.
In teacher welfare, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu approved ₦102.5 million in housing loans, clearing 25 pending applications from 2020 and approving 93 new ones in 2024. Also, 4,353 teachers were recruited between 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr. Tolani Sule, said the state is working to reposition its tertiary institutions for greater impact.
