FG Admits Nigeria Not Fully Ready for WAEC CBT by 2025

The Federal Government has acknowledged that Nigeria may not be adequately equipped with the infrastructure required to implement Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) by November 2025.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while monitoring the ongoing WAEC CBT examinations in Abuja. He stated that although the transition to digital examination systems is already in progress, the country still faces considerable challenges, particularly in deploying infrastructure to remote areas.

“Are we going to be ready to provide every single needed infrastructure by November? Not. Nevertheless, as we move into the future, we will be ready. We have to challenge ourselves as a government,” he said.

Dr Alausa commended WAEC for taking the lead in adopting the CBT model, describing it as a bold initiative aimed at curbing examination malpractice and modernising Nigeria’s education sector. According to him, the government remains committed to a complete transition of the country’s examination system to digital formats by 2026.

“We are working very hard to eliminate fraud in our examination system, and WAEC is taking the lead,” he stated.

The minister emphasised that CBT provides a secure and efficient method of assessment, which significantly reduces the incidence of cheating.

He added that there was now clear evidence that when examinations were conducted using technology, the level of fraud was reduced to almost zero.

Addressing concerns over the logistics of administering multiple papers, Alausa said the examination bodies are prepared to handle the complexities involved.

“In WAEC, the average student takes about eight to nine papers. They do it over several days. Those are the logistics we, as administrators, have to work through, and we already are,” he said.

He assured the public that, despite existing challenges, strategic efforts are underway to ensure that all examination bodies, including the National Examinations Council (NECO), fully adopt Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026.