The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has announced that the Federal Government is working towards the complete transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for all West African Examinations Council (WAEC) assessments by 2025, with other national exams such as NECO to follow by 2026.
Dr. Alausa disclosed this on Wednesday while monitoring the ongoing CBT-administered WAEC examinations in Abuja, describing the development as a “historic shift” in Nigeria’s education sector.
He praised WAEC for pioneering the digital transition, stating that the introduction of CBT is a major step toward restoring integrity to the nation’s examination processes and curbing widespread malpractice.
“We are working very hard to eliminate fraud in our exam system, and WAEC is taking the lead. The results so far are encouraging,” he said.
The minister emphasised that the CBT format reduces the likelihood of examination malpractice, thanks to digital safeguards and secure networks. “We now have clear evidence that when exams are done using technology, the level of fraud is minimised to almost zero,” he stated.
Dr. Alausa also revealed that WAEC’s multiple-choice sections will be fully conducted through CBT by November 2025, while essay sections and NECO will join the platform in 2026.
He acknowledged logistical and infrastructure challenges, especially in remote areas, but assured that scalable solutions are being worked on. “We may not be fully ready infrastructure-wise by November, but we must challenge ourselves. This is the way forward,” he said.
On managing logistics for multiple subjects and large student numbers, the minister said the government is devising strategies to ensure smooth implementation. “In WAEC, the average student takes about eight to nine papers across several days. Those are the logistics we are already working through,” he explained.
The current WAEC examination, which began on April 24 and will end on June 20, 2025, features 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools. Male candidates total 979,228 (49.63%), while female candidates number 994,025 (50.37%).
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