The standard of education in Lagos State may have started witnessing sharp decline despite the huge budget allocated annually to the sector after the Government disclosed that 54.3 per cent of the 58,188 students who participated in the 2024 West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) failed the examination.
It added that of the 45.7 percent of the Senior Secondary School students who took part in the examination could scale the hurdle with the two major subjects, English and Mathematics, passed successfully.
A check on the statistics provided by the government further revealed that of the 58,188 students who participated in the examination, 45.7 percent amounted to 26,591 passed while 31,596 others would have to retake the examination.
Meanwhile, the government stressed that though the failure rate may be higher, cases of malpractice during examinations have reduced drastically across the state, saying this act has reduced 118 in 2024.
Alli-Balogun added that the government was already addressing the challenge in West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) including prevention of an overblouted number of students for the examination beginning from 2025.
“We held strategic meetings with Principals across the six Education Districts to address this decline and called for the exclusive promotion of high-achieving students to terminal class,” he said.
“This measure, we believe, will end the practice of mass promotion of students, which hitherto, has not yielded positive results. It would also encourage intending final year students to work harder, strive for excellence, lead to better academic outcomes, improve overall performance of students and raise the standards of Education in the State.
“We have also called for swift action to revive various school activities that tap into students’ natural learning abilities to stimulate their physical and mental well-being, including reactivation of co-curricular activities that foster holistic development in students.
“We have started implementation of strategies that promote interactive learning, such as incorporating hands-on activities, experiments, and projects. This is aimed at encouraging students to learn by doing, revive sports, physical and health education programmes that promote physical fitness, teamwork and mental discipline.
“This encourages students to express themselves through art, music, drama, sports and other creative outlets that empower them to take ownership of their learning by leading projects, clubs, and organisations that align with their interests. By reactivating these activities, schools can provide students with a well-rounded education that prepares them for success in all aspects of life.
“As part of our rules of engagement, Principals and Vice Principals have been mandated to teach for 6 and 8 periods weekly, respectively, and must be reflected in the schools’ time table, while we appeal for change of mind-set towards leadership and maintaining discipline in our school space.
“In the same vein, the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) have been charged to be more effective in discharging its statutory responsibilities and will be expected to forward uncoloured reports of cases of truancy, sexual molestation, absenteeism, negligence to duty, and all untoward conducts on the part of teachers.
“It should also be noted that any Teacher found guilty of immoral acts, examination mal-practices, or who sacrifices good performance for mediocrity, would be dealt with in accordance with extant law.
“As part of these activities, we have reviewed the existing Education Laws and year 2018 Policy on Education to reflect current realities in the sector in line with global best practice.”
