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The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is facing fierce public backlash after a major technical glitch disrupted access to the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results, sparking outrage among candidates, parents, and education stakeholders nationwide.

In a statement on Thursday, the Council’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, admitted that bugs were discovered in the backend of its result system following internal post-release quality checks. As a result, access to the result checker portal was temporarily disabled while WAEC worked to correct the errors.

“The West African Examinations Council sincerely regrets to inform the general public of technical issues discovered during the internal review of the recently released results,” the statement read. “Access to the WASSCE SC 2025 results has been temporarily denied on the result checker portal.”

WAEC attributed the issue to a new anti-malpractice measure known as paper serialisation, which was implemented in Mathematics, English Language, Biology, and Economics. Candidates who had already accessed their results were advised to recheck them from Friday.

The glitch follows WAEC’s earlier announcement that only 38.32 per cent of the 1,969,313 candidates obtained five credits and above, including in English and mathematics—the lowest pass rate in a decade. The combination of mass failure and technical disruption has fuelled intense criticism of the Council’s competence and preparedness.

Among those reacting to the situation was Haruna Danjuma, President of the National Association of Parent-Teacher Associations of Nigeria (NAPTAN), who commended WAEC for admitting fault but condemned its proposed shift to full Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in future exams as unrealistic.

“It is good that WAEC owned up to the problem,” he said. “But the plan to move WASSCE entirely to CBT is not feasible with the current level of infrastructure and student preparedness.”

Danjuma argued that 80 to 90 per cent of students, particularly in rural areas, are not computer literate and lack access to the necessary tools, warning that rushing into a digital format could further disadvantage candidates.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) issued a scathing rebuke, accusing WAEC of incompetence and demanding the resignation of its leadership. NANS Assistant General Secretary, Adejuwon Olatunji, criticised the Council for releasing results without adequate system testing.

“This is a clear sign that the leadership of WAEC has failed,” Olatunji said. “Students received incorrect results. Some were led to believe they had failed. This is not just a technical failure; it is emotional and academic harm.”

He insisted that those responsible must be held accountable and that WAEC’s apology was insufficient.

President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Audu Amba, echoed concerns over the impact of the glitch but urged a broader look at the systemic challenges affecting education. He rejected claims that mass failure was the fault of teachers alone.

“As far as the teaching profession is concerned, there is no teacher who will not give their best,” Amba said. “But teachers need help — from the students, from parents, and from government. Many schools lack basic teaching materials. How do you expect good results?”

He added that WAEC should have completed all internal checks before releasing results and called for better quality assurance systems within government education agencies.

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education announced that the glitch had been resolved. In a statement signed by Director of Press, Folasade Boriowo, the Ministry commended WAEC for its transparency and swift action, assuring the public that updated results would be accessible from Friday.

The Ministry also reaffirmed its support for gradual CBT adoption, noting that WAEC and NECO would begin implementing the computer-based format for objective sections starting in 2026. The initiative, according to the Ministry, is designed to reduce malpractice and restore integrity to national examinations.

While WAEC’s apology and promised corrections may calm immediate tensions, education stakeholders insist that this latest blunder underscores the urgent need for system-wide reform, digital readiness, and accountability in public examination bodies. For millions of Nigerian students, a certificate remains a gateway to the future — and that gateway must be guarded with precision, professionalism, and credibility.