Peter Obi blames poor investment in education for declining performance in WASSCE

Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, on Monday, expressed concern over the results of this year’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Results released last week showed a 7.69% decline in performance compared to last year.

In a series on his X account, Obi cited a report revealing that only 72.12% of candidates obtained credits in five subjects, including English and Mathematics, a significant drop from 79.81% last year.

He attributed the decline to Nigeria’s lack of investment in critical areas such as education, health and poverty alleviation.

The former Anambra state governor has criticised the allocation of funds to the education sector, stating that the total capital expenditure of N330.3 billion is grossly inadequate for a state with over 81,520 primary schools and 23,550 secondary schools.

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He wrote: “The latest announcement by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) recording a 7.69 per cent decline in the performance of candidates who sat for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria reiterates the alarming lack of investment in the critical areas of development, education, health and lifting communities out of poverty.”

He also highlighted Nigeria’s literacy rate, which despite claiming to be over 50%, ranks the country 187th on the global literacy scale.

“With a claimed literacy rate of over 50%, we still rank 187th on the global literacy scale, reflecting a lack of commitment to education in the country. Our investment in education, like other critical areas, remains poor.

“The total capital expenditure for the entire education sector, including the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), was allocated at N330.3 billion. For a country with about 81,520 schools at the primary level and 23,550 schools at the secondary level, this is clearly very little,” Obi added.

Peter Obi blames poor investment in education for poor performance in WASSCE first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.