FG vows full WAEC CBT shift by 2026 – Minister

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to fully transitioning to Computer-Based Test (CBT) examinations for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other exam bodies by 2026.

Dr Alausa made this known while monitoring the conduct of WAEC’s CBT examinations in Abuja on Wednesday.

He expressed optimism about Nigeria’s capacity to modernise its examination system and reduce widespread malpractice through digital innovation.

Commending WAEC’s initiative, the minister described the shift from traditional pen-and-paper exams to CBT as a historic and crucial step toward fairness and educational integrity.

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

Highlighting the advantages of CBT, Alausa noted that the system simplified the exam process while significantly curbing cheating.

“We now have clear evidence that when exams are done using technology, the level of fraud is minimised to almost zero,” he stated.

He further lauded WAEC’s internal safeguards, explaining that the CBT system was operated via a secured Local Area Network (LAN), making it “literally impossible” to hack.

According to the minister, by Nov. 2025, all WAEC multiple-choice exams will be conducted using CBT.

He added that essay questions and NECO examinations would follow suit by 2026.

On infrastructure and logistics, particularly in remote areas, Alausa acknowledged the challenges but assured that scalable solutions are in progress.

“Are we going to be ready to provide every single needed infrastructure by November? Absolutely not.

“But as we move into the future, we will be ready. We have to challenge ourselves as government,” he said.

He also addressed concerns over the logistics of conducting multiple exams.

“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 explained.

Our correspondent reports that the ongoing WAEC exams, which began on April 24, are scheduled to conclude on June 20, 2025.

A total of 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools are participating. Of this number, 979,228 candidates are male, accounting for 49.63 per cent, while 994,025 candidates are female, making up 50.37 per cent.