The rollout of the new National Education Curriculum has plunged critical stakeholders in Nigeria’s education sector into deeper confusion, even as its implementation begins in earnest. Schools are grappling with the absence of a clearly defined scheme of work, which has traditionally been provided by the National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
Compounding this problem is the glaring shortage of adequately trained teachers to handle the newly introduced Trade Subjects, as well as the general unpreparedness of schools to deliver them effectively. These gaps point to an urgent need for intervention to avert a looming national embarrassment that could further erode confidence in the country’s already fragile education system. However, as serious as these issues are, they pale in comparison to the immediate and more troubling challenge confronting prospective candidates for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Registration for the 2026 WASSCE is currently ongoing, yet candidates are already caught in a web of unanswered questions and policy contradictions. Trade Subjects that candidates have consistently offered for more than two academic sessions are conspicuously absent from the registration portal. Instead, only the newly introduced subjects under the revised curriculum are available for selection. While WAEC has publicly maintained that it is not compulsory for candidates to sit for these new subjects, it has paradoxically made their selection a compulsory requirement for registration. In other words, candidates are told the subjects are optional, yet without selecting at least one of them, registration cannot proceed. This contradiction has sparked widespread confusion and frustration, with no clear explanation forthcoming from the examination body.
Even more concerning is the reality on the ground. Some candidates are willing to attempt these new subjects, but their schools lack the resources to prepare them. There is no detailed scheme of work, no standardized teaching materials, and in many cases, no qualified teachers to deliver the content. This raises fundamental questions: Why is WAEC compelling candidates to register for subjects they have never been taught? Why are students being denied the opportunity to be examined in Trade Subjects they have studied for the past two years? And if candidates are forced to sit for these new subjects, under what conditions are they realistically expected to pass?
Unless these issues are urgently addressed, the 2026 WASSCE risks becoming a painful exercise in mass failure, one that unfairly punishes students for systemic lapses beyond their control.
