The Lagos State government has disclosed that it spent N1.4 billion to register 45,598 students for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), with 61.52 percent candidates obtaining credits in five subjects, including English and Mathematics.
Jamiu Alli-Balogun, the commissioner for basic and secondary education, made this known during the ongoing 2026 ministerial press briefing to mark the third year of the second term of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
Alli-Balogun described the intervention as part of efforts to remove financial barriers preventing students from accessing quality education.
“The improved performance recorded in the 2025 examination reflected the growing impact of strategic educational reforms and targeted learning interventions introduced by the administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“The Eko Learners Support Initiative, launched in January 2025, aims to close learning gaps, improve exam readiness and give every Lagos learner a fair chance to succeed,” he said.
In addition, he said, “Results are evident in the 2025 WASSCE, where 61.52 percent of registered students earned five credits including English and Mathematics.”
The commissioner further explained that the programme had significantly improved students’ confidence, engagement and academic outcomes across public secondary schools due to its consistency, accessibility and alignment with examination requirements.
As part of measures to improve teaching and learning, the commissioner stated that the ministry distributed essential Mathematics textbooks, Fundamental Formulas of English, Bedrock of English Grammar materials and Hope-Edu textbooks to public schools across the state.
Besides, he said smart learning devices were distributed to public secondary schools in March 2026 to strengthen digital education and improve students’ access to modern learning tools.
“Tthe state launched a state-of-the-art Teachers Digital Hub in January 2026 to enable live streaming of teaching sessions to schools across Lagos, ensuring equal access to quality educational content,” he noted.
Ali-Balogun stated that the ministry also organised educational film shows across the six education districts and showcased digital animations during the Festival of Instructional Materials to make classroom learning more interactive.
Moreover, he said the government continued efforts to bring more children into the school system, especially those from underserved communities and out-of-school backgrounds.
He revealed that 4,539 candidates applied for admission into model colleges and upgraded secondary schools, out of which 3,024 candidates secured provisional admission, representing a 66.62 percent admission rate.
The commissioner explained that 11,727 students were transferred into public junior secondary school II and senior secondary school I classes across Lagos.
“15 schools were constructed or rehabilitated in hard-to-reach communities, while modular classrooms were deployed in several schools to reduce overcrowding
“The state also supplied 223,343 ergonomic furniture units to public schools, completed eight new 18-classroom blocks in 2025 and commenced construction of 18 additional classroom blocks in 2026,” he said.
The commissioner also said that seven more classroom blocks had already been approved for the 2026/2027 academic session, bringing the total number of classrooms delivered since the re-inauguration of the Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Schools to 1,416.
He further disclosed that the ministry approved 37 non-governmental organisations for interventions in healthcare, innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership training and career development programmes across public schools.
“18,122 girls across the six education districts were vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus, HPV, under ongoing school health intervention programmes,” he noted.
