Only 26 per cent of the private candidates who wrote the 2017 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, SSCE, had five credits including Maths and English, representing a sharp drop in the results recorded in 2016.

The percentage of candidates in this category in 2015 and 2016 examinations were 28.59 per cent and 38.50 per cent respectively.

Mr Olu Adenipekun, the Council’s Head of Nigeria National Office, announced the release of the November /December diet of the examination at a press conference in Katsina.

According to Adenipekun, out of 135,945 candidates that registered for the examination, only 133,223 wrote the test.

He said 131,485 candidates that sat for the examination had their results fully processed and released.

According to Adenipekun, 1,738 candidates were yet to have their full results released because they had a few of their subjects still being processed due to errors traceable to them in the course of registration or writing the examination.

“Such errors are being corrected by the council to enable the affected candidates get their results fully processed and released subsequently’’, he said.

He said out of all candidates who wrote the examination, 34,664 obtained a minimum of credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and General Mathematics, representing 26.01 per cent.

He said the percentage of candidates in this category in 2015 and 2016 were 28.59 per cent and 38.50 per cent respectively.

“One will discover that the results for 2015 and 2017 are comparatively the same.

“There can be a reason for the sharp drop this year in this category, which we have not proved scientifically.’’

He said it could be that some candidates needed a particular subject to make up their deficiencies for the WASSCE for the school candidates results, in order to assist them to gain placements into the higher institutions of their choice.

Adenipekun said 65,483 other candidates obtained credits and above in five subjects while 46,824 obtained credits and above in six subjects.

Similarly, 98,506 candidates obtained credits and above in three subjects while 83,256 candidates obtained credits and above in four subjects, and 11,763 others obtained credits and above in two subjects.

He said the release of this year’s results was special because it coincided with the 55th annual meeting of Nigeria National Committee, NNC, holding in Katsina.

“NNC is the highest policy making organ of WAEC at the national level.

“The committee consists of experienced personalities, with many of them as serving officers in the education sector representing a wide range of interests in the affairs of the council’’, Adenipekun said.

He promised that WAEC would keep introducing innovations that would continually improve the standard of the examination.

PT