By Babatunde Ayedoju
Digital illiteracy and overexposure to social media have been identified as crucial factors that need to be addressed in order to stem the tide of poor performance in external examinations.
This was stated by stakeholders who spoke with THE HOPE in reaction to the result of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for private candidates.
Recall that the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) recently released the results of the 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates, First Series.
According to information provided by the Council on X, 32.72 percent of candidates who sat for the examination had credits in at least five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics, a rise from 30.95 percent recorded in 2024.
The council also withheld the results of 75 candidates over alleged examination malpractice.
Reacting, a teacher, Mr. Damola Ojenike, described the performance as poor but added that the introduction of CBT had reduced examination malpractice drastically.
He noted that many schools lack facilities to train their students on computer literacy from JSS 1, adding that for children to do well in computer-based external examinations, they must be grounded in computer literacy from the earliest stage.
He also stated that remuneration of teachers needs to be made a priority so that they can do their job with passion.
Also speaking, a parent, Mrs. Mary Adebayo, described this year’s result as a far cry from the last two years, where there was a high percentage of students with credits in at least five subjects, including mathematics and English.
Adebayo blamed the woeful performance on the students, parents, government and social media.
She said, “Students don’t take education seriously. Most of them don’t even read for the exam; instead, they spend their time on social media when they are supposed to be reading. Unless parents take necessary steps to address this trend, woeful performance in external examinations will continue.
“On the part of the government, they should provide a conducive environment for learning, to assist students’ concentration. Also, teachers should be motivated enough to put in their best. All these affect learning, hence the poor performance of students in external examinations.
“Parents as well share from the blame. There are some parents who are too busy to monitor their children’s academic progress. Some don’t even buy textbooks for their children but they have money to buy “aso ebi”.
She stressed the need for all stakeholders to unite and correct the abysmal trend immediately.
A student, Favour Aisida, pointed out that the relatively low pass rate suggests that factors beyond knowledge of subject are affecting students.
She stated that students, especially from public schools, have little or no exposure to computer facilities as a result of infrastructural deficits, thus affecting their performance in computer-based external examinations.
Aisida advised that WAEC should organise mock examinations before the main examinations so that students would be prepared ahead.
She also recommended an improvement in teaching quality and funding for schools.