Concerns about the state’s educational system have been raised by the Lagos State Government’s announcement that 31,596 public school students failed the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
54.3% of the 58,188 public school students who took the examinations failed, according to statistics given by Lagos Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun at a news conference on Thursday in Alausa, Ikeja, according to Naija News.
According to the commissioner, the pass rate was 45.7%. The state government has provided significant financial support, allocating ₦1.577 billion to cover the students’ WAEC tuition, although this high failure rate still exists.Alli-Balogun declared, “It is sufficient to say that the State Government paid ₦1,577,794,000 (one billion, five hundred and seventy-seven million, seven hundred and ninety-four thousand naira) only as examination fees for 58,188 students who were captured for the year 2024 WASSCE.” To strengthen accountability and prevent waste, the Commissioner revealed that biometric and image registration was done to accurately determine eligible students for government sponsorship for the 2025 WASSCE. “The exercise successfully captured and registered 56,134 students as bona fide beneficiaries of the Lagos State Government’s sponsorship for the examination,” he said.As part of a larger effort by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to provide Lagos students with the resources they need for academic success, the Lagos State Government launched the Eko Learners’ Support Programme for WASSCE and NECO Candidates on January 14, 2025. This innovative initiative aims to empower and support young learners, reflecting the Ministry’s commitment to improving Lagos State’s educational system, according to Alli-Balogun.
He mentioned that the program aims to deliver 320 lessons across 10 essential subjects, including English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Government, History, Literature-in-English, and Yoruba, thereby providing high-quality tutoring directly to students’ homes.
Each 30-minute lesson will be broadcast on Lagos Television (LTV) and will also be available on major platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), thus establishing a digital learning library that is accessible to all students.
“It is a supportive eco-system that fosters academic achievement, creativity, critical thinking… every student deserves the opportunity to attain their full potential, regardless of their background or socio-economic status,” the Commissioner declared passionately.
Alli-Balogun urged students, especially those in boarding schools, to seize this opportunity.
“It is on this note that I urge and encourage students, more importantly, students in our boarding schools, to take full advantage of this initiative, as education is a lifelong journey,” he said.
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