Teacher shortage and failing grades threaten tertiary access for 2024 NECO, candidates, NSSEC warns

• NSSEC warns that up to 40% of 2024 NECO candidates may not gain admission to tertiary institutions
• This follows concerns raised by the Executive Secretary, Dr. Iyela Ajayi, who highlighted the impact of poor subject performance
• Ajayi also stressed the importance of improving teacher quality and training to address the nation's education challenges

The Executive Secretary of the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (NSSEC), Dr. Iyela Ajayi, revealed that a significant percentage of students who took the 2024 National Examination Council (NECO) and West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams may not gain admission to tertiary institutions due to failing grades in core subjects.

Dr. Ajayi shared these statistics on Tuesday in Calabar, during a capacity-building workshop aimed at English and mathematics teachers from the South-South Geo-Political Zone.

40% of 2024 NECO Candidates May Miss University Admission Over Failed Core Subjects – NSSEC
Source: Facebook

According to Dr. Ajayi, around 40 percent of 2024 NECO candidates did not achieve passing grades in both Mathematics and English Language, which are prerequisites for most tertiary programs in Nigeria.

40 percent did not achieve passing grades

While 61 percent of NECO candidates scored five credits or higher, including in these critical subjects, the remaining 40 percent risk missing out on higher education opportunities.

The issue is not isolated to NECO; a similar trend was observed in WAEC results, where about 28 percent of candidates failed to secure credits in Mathematics and English Language.

Dr. Ajayi noted that these failing scores in foundational subjects could bar students from advancing in their academic careers.

In his address, Dr. Ajayi emphasized that Nigeria’s educational sector faces a dual crisis: a shortage of both high-quality teachers and adequate teacher training programs, particularly in mathematics and English.

Despite advancements in curriculum and infrastructure, he argued, the absence of qualified educators remains a significant obstacle to progress in the sector.

“There is no doubt that there is a teacher problem in Nigeria in terms of quality and quantity; this is why, as a commission, we emphasized the training and retraining of teachers, especially in the two core subjects,” he said.

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Source: Legit.ng