Federal Government Confirms CBT Transition for WAEC and NECO by 2026
Education Minister Announces Major Examination Reform
The Federal Government has officially announced plans to transition the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026. This significant education reform was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief program.
Addressing Examination Integrity Concerns
The decision comes amid growing concerns about examination malpractice, particularly following the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results. Statistics revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400.
Minister Alausa described the poor UTME results as alarming, stating: “This reflects serious issues with our examination system. While JAMB has successfully implemented CBT with strong security measures, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO.”
Phased Implementation Plan
The government has developed a comprehensive transition plan:
- November 2025: CBT implementation begins with objective papers
- May-June 2026: Full implementation including essay components
Alausa emphasized the need for technological solutions to combat examination fraud: “We must use technology to eliminate ‘miracle centers’ and other forms of cheating. The current disparity between JAMB’s secure system and the vulnerabilities in WAEC/NECO is unacceptable.”
Comprehensive Review Underway
The Minister revealed that a diagnostic review of the nation’s examination systems was initiated shortly after he assumed office. “I established a committee to investigate examination conduct nationwide, and we expect their report soon,” he added.
This transition to CBT represents one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s education sector in recent years, aiming to restore credibility to national examinations and improve learning outcomes.
Credit: NigerianEye.com