Nearly 567,000 (41%) Nigerian students failed to obtain at least five credits including English Language and Mathematics in the 2026 National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination, raising fresh questions about learning outcomes at the end of secondary education.
NECO said 804,948 candidates, or 58.67 per cent of the 1,371,992 who sat the examination, achieved five credits and above including English and Mathematics. The result was announced on Thursday by the council’s Registrar, Professor Dantani Wushishi, in Minna, Niger State.
For students and parents, however, the more important figure may be the other side of the result: 567,044 candidates, representing about 41.3 per cent of those who sat the examination, did not reach that five-credit threshold with both English and Mathematics included.
The figures also show that the 2026 result was weaker than last year. In 2025, 60.26 per cent of candidates secured five credits and above including English and Mathematics, compared with 58.67 per cent this year.
That is a decline of 1.59 percentage points, or about 2.64 per cent when measured as a relative fall from the 2025 rate.
Why English and Mathematics matter
NECO reported a much higher overall attainment figure when English and Mathematics were removed from the calculation.
A total of 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained at least five credits irrespective of their grades in English and Mathematics.
That means about 357,170 candidates obtained five credits overall but were outside the group that secured five credits including both English and Mathematics.
This gap is important.
For university, polytechnic and college applicants, simply obtaining five credits does not automatically make a candidate eligible for every course. JAMB’s admission requirements vary according to the institution and programme, with English, Mathematics and other relevant subjects required for many courses.
Candidates therefore need to check the exact O’Level requirements for their chosen programme rather than treating the national 84.70 per cent figure as an automatic indication of admission eligibility.
For Nigerian families, including parents living abroad who support children’s education at home, the distinction could determine whether a student proceeds directly with an admission application or needs to retake one or more subjects.
Results point to a wider education challenge
The NECO figures should also be examined beyond the annual debate about which state produced the largest number of successful candidates.
Nigeria continues to face broader challenges around learning and skills.
A World Bank assessment published in February 2026 gave Nigeria an education pillar score of 64, below the median score of 88 for lower-middle-income countries. The World Bank said weaknesses in education, health and workforce skills can affect productivity and future earnings.
The World Bank measure is not directly comparable with NECO examination results, but it provides useful context: getting children into school is only one part of the problem. What they actually learn, whether they complete secondary education with the required competencies and whether those skills translate into further education and employment are equally important.
The 2026 NECO results therefore provide policymakers with more than a national pass figure. They offer another measure through which weaknesses in English, Mathematics and other core subjects can be identified.
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Malpractice falls sharply — but percentage needs clarification
NECO also reported a substantial reduction in examination malpractice.
Wushishi said 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of malpractice in 2026 compared with 3,878 in 2025, attributing the decline to stronger monitoring, examination procedures and cooperation with security agencies. NECO described this as a 64.74 per cent reduction.
What students should do now
Candidates can now check their 2026 SSCE Internal results through NECO’s official results portal using their examination year, examination type, registration number and result-checking token.
Students seeking admission should then compare their individual subject grades with the requirements for their chosen institution and course instead of relying only on whether they obtained five credits overall.
For government and education authorities, the bigger question is what happens next.
With only 58.67 per cent achieving five credits including English and Mathematics — down from 60.26 per cent in 2025 — attention should move beyond celebrating states with the largest numbers of successful candidates.
The more important task is identifying why hundreds of thousands of young Nigerians are completing secondary school without reaching key subject requirements, where those gaps are concentrated and what schools can do before the next examination cycle.
