The ERC also flagged what it called “glaring inconsistencies” in WAEC’s communication to schools.
The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) has criticised the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for what it described as a “piecemeal” reinstatement of subjects for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The ERC insisted that only a full return to the old curriculum would protect students from being compelled to sit for subjects they had not studied.
In a statement issued on Thursday, December 11, 2025, and signed by Adaramoye Michael Lenin, ERC National Mobilisation Officer, and Olanrewaju Akinola, representative of Concerned Parents, the group said WAEC’s latest circular to schools, dated December 10, 2025, had failed to address the core issues raised by parents, teachers, and students.
The December 10 letter to school principals reinstated Civic Education and Computer Studies, now labelled Digital Technologies, as subjects for the 2026 WASSCE, following public outcry and pressure from the National Assembly.
While the ERC welcomed the move, it said it was “not enough,” stressing that the majority of students were still unable to register for the required minimum of eight subjects unless they opted for entirely new ones they had never studied.
“For instance, a business student currently studying Storekeeping and Insurance cannot register for those subjects because they are unavailable in WAEC’s portal, and arts and science students encounter the same obstacle with different trade subjects, such as Dyeing and Bleaching and Data Processing,” the group stated.
The ERC also flagged what it called “glaring inconsistencies” in WAEC’s communication to schools.
It cited a November 21, 2025, letter from WAEC, which described Digital Technologies as a new subject that would not be examined until 2028 due to the absence of a curriculum and syllabus.
This, it said, directly contradicted the December 10 letter equating Digital Technologies with the existing Computer Studies.
“Such contradictions erode confidence in our education system,” the statement read.
According to the group, the inconsistencies suggested that WAEC was reluctant to fully revert to the old curriculum for the 2026 examination, describing the current approach as an “ego-driven stop-gap measure.”
The ERC called for the 2026 WASSCE to be based entirely on the full complement of subjects under the old curriculum, insisting that this remains the only viable option to ensure fairness to current SSS 3 students.
“We therefore demand that the 2026 WASSCE be based on the complete set of subjects from the old curriculum, as this is the only way to ensure that no current SSS 3 student is forced to sit for a subject they have not studied since SSS 1,” ERC said.
The organisation urged the National Assembly and the public to maintain pressure on both the Ministry of Education and WAEC, warning that without sustained intervention, thousands of final-year students could be disadvantaged by an “unjust, irrational decision.”