The Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council, Dr Amos Dangut, has announced that female candidates have surpassed males in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
Dangut made the disclosure on Monday during a press briefing held at the council’s national headquarters in Yaba, Lagos. He noted that the examination began on April 21 with practical papers and is scheduled to conclude on June 19.
He revealed that out of a total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools, females make up a slight majority.
He said, “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.
“This reflects an increase in female participation and a decline in male participation compared to last year.”
Dangut explained that the figures show a rise in female participation alongside a drop in male enrolment compared to the previous year.
He added that candidates will sit for 37 subjects made up of 97 papers, while about 29,000 senior secondary school teachers, nominated by various state Ministries of Education, are serving as supervisors.
On the release timeline, the WAEC chief assured that results would be made available 45 days after the final paper, while certificates would follow within 90 days.
“Results will be released 45 days after the last paper, while certificates will be printed and issued to schools within 90 days. Digital copies of certificates will also be available via the WAEC Digital Certificate platform,” he said.
He further disclosed that the adoption of the Computer-Based WASSCE continued to expand in 2026, following its introduction in 2025.
“Last year, the council introduced its maiden Computer-Based WASSCE for School Candidates, 2025. While some schools enrolled for it, many opted for the traditional pen-and-paper mode.
“This year, more schools have chosen the CB-WASSCE option due to its seamless nature, alignment with global best practices, and the success of last year’s edition. This is also in line with the recommendation of the Federal Ministry of Education,” he stated.
Dangut also noted that some schools outside Nigeria using the WAEC syllabus had joined the computer-based format for this year’s examination.
He added that the council has continued to apply paper serialisation as part of efforts to curb examination malpractice and strengthen credibility.
“In our pursuit of leveraging modern Information and Communications Technology to improve service delivery, the council has continued the serialisation of examination papers.
“This innovation ensures that no two candidates have the same question sequence, thereby upholding the academic and moral integrity of the National Policy on Education. This year, we have further refined this system to enhance its efficiency,” he added.
He concluded that the 2026 WASSCE would run for eight weeks and three days.
