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Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

48 

 

POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS IN 

EXTERNL EXAMINATIONS: A HYDRA-HEADED PROBLEM 

 

Rich N. Ekegbo 

Imo State University, Owerri 

richploughman@yahoo.com 

 

Abstract 
 

Life in all its categories spins on education. This concept, education is as good as 

the vehicle through which knowledge in all its forms are impacted on people. 

While the impact of knowledge directly influences positive change in man, it 

indirectly uses the civilized man to make positive changes in the world. This 

impact of education affects every man irrespective of age, and moulds the society 

irrespective of region. However, education in Nigeria seems not to be pointing 

towards the realization of this or attaining the goal of education as can be seen 

from the indices of the dwindling academic performance of Nigerian students in 

West African Examination Council. This therefore becomes an awesome problem 

that poses a serious challenge to Nigeria and Nigerians. But what remains unclear 

is whether the government and the citizens are aware of the enormity of this 

problem, and if they are, what is the extent of this awareness for the problem of 

education in primary and secondary school level. The aim of this paper is to look 

into some of the reasons for deficiencies in academic performances of Nigerian 

students especially in the above mentioned levels of education and give some 

possible suggestions for the way forward. 

 

 

1.0 Introduction 

 

Surely, education means something. But the extent that, every person, group of 

people or government recognizes this and promotes it or otherwise shows how it 

is treasured among the people. And this consequently points to how it will benefit 

the person or people in question. But for all intents and purposes, it should simply 

be understood that “education is the bedrock of development and modern 

civilization” (36:2013). As this article will show, rather than be seen as the 

bedrock of every endeavour in Nigeria, education has continued to be yoyoed. 

The effort here is not to praise the government and the citizens for making much 

effort they seem to be making but to lament that the people and government seem 



 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

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not to be making the much effort that education demands of them. Starting from 

nursery school to university level, much is always desired but only little is done. 

 

Actually the level of education that calls for this article is the secondary school. 

But that does not mean that the article treats the secondary school level of 

education in isolation to other levels, because what happens to one affects the 

other. This article carefully looks at some of the West African School Certificate 

Examination Council results. And while it bemoans the poor performances of 

Nigerian students in WASSCE, it appreciates some of the reasons for the poor 

performances and proffers some solutions that if religiously applied, will help to 

redirect the problems associated with education in Nigerian society. 

 

 

2.0 The need to philosophize education 

 

To work towards the need to philosophize education, one must look at education 

as the major driver of life in general. As Agbanusi (2011) observes, philosophy is 

a discipline which deals with critical and rigorous investigations into human 

existence. Its major branches, which are epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, 

aesthetics, gear towards the improvement of the human person both intellectually 

and morally, with a view to enhancing human co-existence and social cohesion. If 

philosophy is able to achieve the above stated objectives, education must 

categorize philosophy to meet every need of human life and the world. But it is 

possible to philosophize education or to educate philosophy since the two have 

similar objectives. It is not possible that the two will totally tally in aims and 

objectives. It is not possible that the two will totally tally in aims and objectives. 

The objective of education may never be the same with those of philosophy. But 

whatever the objective, the government must always embrace it, people must 

work towards attaining it and the individual must always allow it to be realized in 

him and through him so that it can be said that one has passed through education 

and that education has passed through him. Derived from National Policy on 

Education: 8, the philosophy of education should aim at: 

a. Inculcation of national consciousness and national unity 

b. The inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes for the survival of 

the individual and the Nigerian society. 

c. The training of the mind in understanding for the world around; and 



 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

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d. The acquisition of the appropriate skills and the development of mental, 

physical and social abilities and competences as equipment for the 

individual to live in and contribute to the development of the society. 

 

Whether the government of Nigeria is working towards attaining these objectives 

or not is another thing. But all things being equal, the government has it as a duty 

to work towards attaining it by the use of all available resources and to maintain it 

mutatis mutandis. As it stands with poor performances of Nigerian students in 

Senior West African School Certificate Education, either the government knows 

as in the observation of Epictetus that, “only the educated are free” (2010:v), and 

is working towards making people realize this freedom through education, or it is 

not working towards this freedom and thereby allowing “…people to die because 

of lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). Each of these poles is a pointer to either 

freedom or slavery. 

 

When announcing the result of 2014 WAEC, The Head of National Office, 

WAEC, Eguridu (2004) discloses that, “…when this year’s result id compared to 

the 2012/2013 May/June WASSEC diets, there was marginal decline in the 

performance of candidates as 38.81 percent was recorded in 2012 and 36.57 

percent in 2013”. With these results, it is as good as the situation of bad, worse, 

worst. And who knows what next if this progression will continue this way. 

 

The breakdown of the performance of Nigerian students in WASSCE of 2014 can 

be analyzed thus: 

 

 

 

Quota  Description  Percentage  

529, 795 Five credits and above (+ English and Maths) 31.28% 

145, 425 Withheld 8.61% 

1,017, 215 Below 5 credit (- English and Maths) 60.11% 

1,692, 435 Total number that sat for the exams 100% 

 

 

As to who (or rather, what is the main reasons) is to blame for the poor academic 

performance of Nigerian students in WAEC, the answer lingers as parents, 

teachers, the government, and students themselves have themselves an 

appropriate share of blame proper to each. But the locale of this problem is handy 



 

 

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and clear. First, the problem of poor performance in WAEC by Nigerian students 

does not show that the government is doing much; rather it tries to show that 

government has a greater quota of blame just as it takes greater quota from annual 

national budget. 

 

 

3.0 Factors for students’ poor performance 

 

Some other reasons that are considered as the causes of students’ poor 

performance include the necessary and unnecessary distractions of the modern 

society. Among the distractions are: 

 

3.1 Poor educational foundation 

 

In the past, people use the forum of informal education to instruct and guide their 

young ones. But these days parents, guardians, relatives and every other group of 

people who should ordinarily see to impact knowledge to younger ones no longer 

take time to think, reason and or act in that direction. Udechukwu (2011:812) 

believes that in those days, (2012:812) the methods that were used in making this 

is through folklores, pieces of advice and storytelling. Udechukwu (2011:812) 

further adds that, “All over the world, people in every society take pains, devote 

time and attention to educate the young ones to be functional adults. In most 

cases, these pains, devotion of time and attention to the rearing of the young ones 

are geared towards the young ones fit well into the social and physical 

environment of the society in which they live.”  

 

3.2 Negative effects of technology 

 

No one will be too slow to believe that the advent of technology has caused some 

manifest positive changes in the present generation, especially the youth. If it is 

computer, it is a gateway into which other things like television, radio, internet, 

musical instruments, handset anchor and take their revolution from. While 

negatively, technology bewitches the immature minds and guides them into 

ruining themselves; positively it acts as a saint that guides the matured minds into 

the realization of their full potentials. 

 

3.3 The negative effects of home movies 

 



 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

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The revolution of home movies in 2000s has not helped matters as ever well 

meaning individual will testify. Home movies have both positive and negative 

side effects. While it positively creates the awareness to the ills of the society and 

to some extent gives clue to how one can avoid them, it serves as an instrument of 

indoctrination to people who tend not to be focused in life especially among the 

youth. As such, some young minds have taken their contents as the ideal and quasi 

norm to lean on. Far reaching negative effect of this is that it makes the students 

very curious to identify themselves with the actors and their actions and leaves 

them with the suspense of ‘and what next’ these are up to. Thus the time that 

students would have spent in their book and studies is then being unconsciously 

and unguardedly stolen by this generational devil and academic enemy called 

home movies. And this unconscious craves for home movies has thwarted the 

principle is something by which people abide by no matter what: a ‘person of 

principle is to swayed; a principle account is one which holds up in the face of 

even serious objections and so on. 

 

3.4 Music and home movies’ CD stores have replaced bookshops 

 

Before now, it was not uncommon to see every type of bookshops in very 

strategic locations of every city, but recently, music and movies’ CDs began to 

take the place of bookshops. And since the environment influences the 

inhabitants, students began to incline more to the available music and home 

movies CDs than to text books and novels. Perhaps that is why it is easier these 

days to come across a student who can stand on one foot and give at least the 

name of about fifteen Nollywood stars than mention a novel and its author. This is 

quite different from what it used to be in the days of yore when it used to be a 

thing of pride for a student to tell the stories in the novels he read and what impact 

it has made in him or her. 

 

3.4 Poor economy 

 

In the past, parents take home pay used to pay for them through the month. And 

the result of this is the hunt for money and the quest for survival was very 

minimal. And the spare time that parents had was enough for them to use for other 

activities. And so it was possible for parents to have to share experiences and 

knowledge with their children. Some parents even had the hobby of looking into 

the school bags and academic books of their children to blame them, to praise 

them, to teach them, but to make them know that life and knowledge is a serious 



 

 

Posthumous festschrift in honour of late professor R.O. Ezeuko, edited by Dr. Odinye, Egenti & Orji 

 

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issue. But these days, father and mother and sometimes even students seem to 

compete in hustling, just to make ends meet because it has come to be seen that it 

is only those in politics, petroleum business, church business, and phone industry 

that are still finding their feet above the economic hardship of the nation. 

 

3.5 The government poor attention to the welfare of education 

 

Nigerian leadership does not seem to know the value of education, and so only 

provide little fund to that sector. It is quite unfortunate that teachers are the slaves 

of the nation somehow. For some unions in the teaching industry in Nigeria to 

have some upward review in their salaries or attract some amenities in their 

schools, they must have to embark on strike. And if they win so be it, but the 

winning never comes so easy as there is always threats of sacks from the 

government. As if to extricate herself from the blames of poor academic 

performance by students beyond WASSCE. Freeman, (2004) observes that,  

 

…the government of President Gooluck Jonathan 

last year allocated four hundred and twenty six 

billion, five hundred and twenty million naira 

(N426.52b) to education, making the sector the top 

most priority, representing about 8.6% of the total 

budget of four trillion 92 billion naira (4.92t) about 

($32 billion). It was received with awesome 

ovation, with the expectations that if deployed into 

the sector it would make positive impact. Alas, one 

year after, our education went into the doldrums the 

more. Many Nigerians left for Ghana for higher 

educate. 

 

Though the above measure was mentioned to have been taken, only God can tell 

the extent the so called money was appropriated and the method of application 

that was used. The fact remains that money is not the only problem of Nigerian 

education. Like a leprous finger, in Nigeria, education has the problem of the 

teachers, the problem of the students, the problem of fund, the problem of 

management, perhaps except the problem of policy, to contend with. 

 

 

 



 

 

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4.0 Towards a solution 

 

The solution to the problem of education is so vast that it needs all and sundry to 

have hands on deck for solution. The government, the parents, the teachers and 

the students have each something to do, if something is meant to be achieved. 

 

The government should be sincere and committed in funding education. Along 

with the funding of education, the government should uplift the status of her 

teachers, motivate them and give teaching a pride of place so that the teachers will 

see teaching more as hobby than task and labour with poor pay. 

 

Since technology, home movies and music revolution have come to be, it is the 

parents and not the teachers and the government that can regulate their children 

about them. Besides, if parents are not comfortable with the academic 

performances of their children, they are the ones that should begin early to guide 

their children educationally because charity begins at home. 

 

This paper has already given a clean slate to education policy, but the 

implementation, like the implementation of many other policies in Nigeria has 

been lame legged. 

 

It seems the teachers and the students are always the major takers of the blames of 

poor academic performances in Nigeria, despite the best they have been putting in 

teaching and learning. But as Anameze (2000:33) suggests, teachers should also 

begin to look into the students “…sensory defects, emotional problems, low 

academic achievement, motivation, examination anxiety, loss of sleep, values 

disorientation, distractions, distractions, forgetting and defective entry 

behaviours…”. He suggested that while the teacher counselor should explain the 

meaning of these factors and how they affect students, the student themselves 

should try to avoid them. But a very big question still hangs on what is seen as 

guidance counselor and their roles in Nigerian educational system. 

 

5.0 Summary and Conclusion 

 

The problem of poor academic performance is a very serious problem that depicts 

the status of Nigerian society. Certificates from Nigerian institutions are often 

questionable outside Nigeria. It is regrettable. And many a time, Nigeria claims to 

be giant of Africa without showing some giant examples. The problem of 



 

 

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education is one like that of epileptic power problem that seems to defy every 

solution. But like the power problem among others of its kind, apart from few 

suggestions mentioned here in this paper, all that is required for good output from 

education in Nigeria is all available in Nigeria, only that the stakeholders 

especially the government has not decided to be sincere about that. 

 

 

Refernces 

Agbanusi, A. (2011). The Need for Philosophy in the Quest for Sustainable 

Development in Chiegboka, A. B. C., Uto Ezeajughi, T. C., & Ogene, M. 

S. (Eds.) (2011). Humanities and Sustainable Development. Nigeria: Rex 

Charles & Patrick. 

Anameze, L. (2000). Study Habits Modification Programme for Nigerian Students 

in Y. C. S. Star Magazine: Youths in the church. Awka: St. Mary’s Catholic 

church. 

Anih, S. (2010). Healing the Epistemic Crisis in Nigerian Education. Enugu: 

ATCOL Press. 

Eguridu, C. (2014). http://www.facebook.com/waec.org.ng from 

http://www/waeconline.org.ng/ register on 19/9/14. 

Freeman, K. O. (2014). Fides Newspaper, Aug. 14, Vol. 22 no. 31, p. 20 

Mey, J. (Ed.) (2007). Pragmatics: An Introduction. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. 

National Policy on Education (4th ed.) (2004). Lagos: NERDC 

Obi, P. (2013). Is Anambra State Cursed or Are We the Cause? Nigeria: Anambra 

State Government. 

Udechukwu, I. G. (2012). Igbo Traditional Education and Good Governances in 

A. B. C. et al (Eds.) Humanities and Good Governance. Nigeria: Rex 

Charles & Patrick. 

 

 


