Poor Funding Responsible For Students’ Failure In WAEC Results – Obi

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has blamed poor funding of the education sector by governments as reason for students’ failure in West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) exams.

Peter Obi said government investment in education remains poor. He argued that the 2024 WAEC result which showed a 7.69 percent decrease in Nigeria students’ performance confirms the worrying lack of investment in the critical areas of development in the country.

In a statement on Monday, Obi said, “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.

“This constant decline in our educational performance and other critical areas demands urgent attention and action.

“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.”

The former governor of Anambra State urged governments to emulate his investment in education during his time as governor.

He further congratulated students who performed well in the 2024 WAEC exam.

Obi called on government to put more resources in the education sector.

“The aggressive investment in education we made in Anambra State under my administration greatly transformed education in the State, and still bears fruits to this day.

“I sincerely congratulate all the students who sat for the 2024 WASSCE, especially those who made impressive results. I applaud 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,” he added.