The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that female candidates registered for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination outnumbered male candidates, marking a shift from the previous year’s enrolment pattern. The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Amos Dangut, disclosed this on Monday during a briefing at……
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced that female candidates registered for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination outnumbered male candidates, marking a shift from the previous year’s enrolment pattern.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Amos Dangut, disclosed this on Monday during a briefing at the council’s headquarters in Lagos.
Dangut said a total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 secondary schools registered for the examination.
According to him, 1,001,072 candidates, representing 51.08 per cent of the total enrolment, are female, while 958,564 candidates, representing 48.92 per cent, are male.
“A total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools enrolled for the examination. Of this number, 958,564 candidates, representing 48.92 per cent, are male, while 1,001,072 candidates, representing 51.08 per cent, are female,” he said.
“This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut disclosed that candidates would sit for 37 subjects comprising 97 examination papers during the exercise.
He added that about 29,000 senior secondary school teachers nominated by various ministries of education nationwide would serve as supervisors.
The WAEC official said the 2026 WASSCE would begin with practical papers on April 21 and end on June 19.
He assured candidates that results would be released within 45 days after the last paper, while certificates for successful candidates would be printed and distributed within 90 days.
Dangut further stated that digital copies of certificates would also be accessible through the council’s digital certificate platform.
He noted that more schools adopted the computer-based examination format introduced in 2025, adding that the council had continued the serialisation of examination papers to curb malpractice.
According to him, the system ensures that candidates do not receive the same sequence of questions during the examination.
