School Owners Express Concerns Over Full CBT Transition for WAEC, NECO Examinations

School owners and education experts have raised fresh concerns over the Federal Government’s plan to transition the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations to complete Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had earlier mandated WAEC and NECO to follow the lead of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which has successfully reduced examination malpractice through CBT in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

While acknowledging the need to curb examination fraud, stakeholders argue that a hasty switch could harm secondary education, especially in rural areas. Prof. Samuel Bandele, Vice Chancellor of Anchor University, warned that unlike JAMB’s UTME, WAEC and NECO are achievement tests designed to assess students’ ability to think critically and express themselves, especially in essay sections. Reducing these examinations to purely multiple-choice formats, he noted, could water down their quality.

School proprietors are also worried about the financial burden of implementing CBT. Mr. Kolawole Ajidahun argued that most schools cannot afford the infrastructure required for complete CBT, adding that outsourcing examinations to private CBT centres, like JAMB does, could negatively impact private schools. Another school owner, Mrs. Mary Olojede, stated that Nigeria is not yet fully ready to transition to Computer-Based Tests (CBT) nationwide. She pointed out problems such as poor electricity, weak internet, and the high cost of setting up CBT centres, especially in rural areas.

She warned that if the government proceeds without addressing these issues, students in remote communities may suffer and be left behind. As a result, many stakeholders are advising the government to take things step by step. They suggest starting with a mix of computer-based and paper-based examinations (a hybrid model) while working on improving infrastructure to make the examination system fair and inclusive for all students.