By - Osun State placed fifth nationally in the 2026 NECO Senior School Certificate Examination, with 74.31% of candidates recording at least five credits including English and Mathematics
- Governor Adeleke says the state has climbed from 33rd position in 2022 to fifth in 2026, marking three straight years of single-digit rankings
- Governor attributes the improvement to teacher recruitment, welfare investment and a better learning environment, and pledges continued spending on education
Governor Ademola Adeleke is pointing to Osun State’s latest NECO results as evidence that his administration’s education spending is paying off, after the state placed fifth nationally in the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination.
According to figures released in a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, 74.31 percent of Osun candidates who sat the exam secured at least five credits, including compulsory passes in English Language and Mathematics. Adeleke framed the placement as part of a longer climb rather than a one-off result, noting that the state has held a single-digit national ranking for three consecutive years, in 2024, 2025 and 2026, after sitting at 33rd position as recently as 2022.
Teacher Recruitment at the Center of the Governor’s Case
In his statement, Adeleke tied the improved numbers directly to specific interventions his administration says it has made in public schools, chief among them the recruitment of additional teachers to expand the workforce. He also cited efforts to prioritise teachers’ welfare and improve conditions inside classrooms as contributing factors, describing the combination as a deliberate strategy rather than an incidental gain.
He congratulated students, teachers, parents, school administrators and other stakeholders for the outcome, framing the result as validation of an approach he intends to keep building on rather than treating as a finished job. He said the administration would continue investing in schools, upgrading learning environments and equipping students with the tools needed to succeed both academically and beyond the classroom.
Adeleke closed by urging students to stay committed to their studies as the state works to sustain and expand its education interventions going forward.
