Delays in the release of the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results for candidates with disabilities have raised concerns over their access to tertiary education, with some affected students reportedly losing admission opportunities.
One of the affected candidates, Hassan Adebayo, a visually impaired student who scored 251 in the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), said the delay prevented him from pursuing his preferred course, Law, at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.
Adebayo told Saturday PUNCH that while the results of his sighted colleagues had been released, his result and those of other candidates with disabilities were delayed for weeks.
“I feel bad because I had made up my mind that I was going to study at the University of Ilorin, my first choice. I lost that admission because WAEC did not release our results on time, weeks after they released other people’s results,” he said.
He added that he had been forced to change his institution to the University of Abuja but was yet to secure admission.
Another affected candidate, Chinedu Nkwocha, also expressed frustration over the handling of his examination results. Nkwocha said he was marked absent in three subjects, including Mathematics, despite sitting for the examinations.
“Till today, over two months later, my result is still not out. I’m very sad that I lost out because I know the effort I put in,” he said.
The candidates called on the examination body and relevant government agencies to address the situation and ensure that affected students are not denied admission because of administrative delays.
Education advocates have also raised concerns about the impact of the delays, particularly as some universities have already closed their admission portals for the 2026/2027 academic session.
Responding to concerns about candidates with special needs, WAEC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Amos Dangut, said the council had released results for candidates with special needs, while acknowledging that some cases required additional attention.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education said it was working with examination bodies to improve the coordination of examination schedules and ensure that results are released in time for university admissions.
The ministry also disclosed plans for a proposed 2027 examination timetable designed to enable candidates to receive their results ahead of the September admission period.
The development has renewed calls for examination procedures that guarantee equal opportunities for all candidates, irrespective of disability.
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