The Federal Government has announced plans to fully transition school-based Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) centres, including privately owned facilities and those belonging to public institutions, starting from 2026.
This was revealed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, during an inspection visit to Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja, where the National Examinations Council (NECO) conducted a pilot CBT SSCE.
Alausa praised NECO for the smooth conduct of the pilot phase, noting that the era of writing SSCEs within school premises will soon be phased out.
“WAEC and NECO exams are school-based exams being conducted at their schools. We will move away from that,
“It is going to be like JAMB exams, conducted at CBT centres. We have thousands of such centres across the nation.” he said
He emphasized that most schools do not have the infrastructure required for digital testing, and that tapping into existing CBT infrastructure will not only support a seamless transition but also strengthen the education-tech value chain in Nigeria.
“These CBT centres should not be for JAMB alone. They should also serve WAEC and NECO. Entrepreneurs have invested billions into these centres, and this move will expand their usage, create jobs, and support homegrown technological solutions,” he added.
Alausa further affirmed that the shift is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of unlocking digital opportunities in every sector, noting that full CBT integration will help reduce examination malpractice and enhance the credibility of results.
According to Dr. Alausa, the transition will occur in phases, with full CBT implementation for both objective and essay papers targeted for 2026.
“I’m a very happy person today that NECO has transitioned to CBT from paper-based. By November this year, both NECO and WAEC objective exams will be full CBT. And by next year, all their exams will be CBT,” he said.
NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, expressed the council’s readiness to embrace the CBT format fully, despite some infrastructure challenges in remote areas.
“NECO is ready as a professional body to conduct examinations using any medium,” Prof. Wushishi stated. “We are calling on state governments to support by investing in CBT infrastructure to complement federal efforts.”
He revealed that 1,367,210 candidates registered for this year’s SSCE, the highest in NECO’s history. Of the total, 685,551 were male and over 681,300 female. Kano State recorded the highest number of candidates with over 137,000, while Kebbi State had the least with just over 5,000. The Nigerian International School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, had the smallest centre with eight candidates.
Meanwhile, lawmakers from the Senate and House of Representatives who monitored the exam lauded NECO’s performance and pledged continued legislative support for the digital shift.
Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), Senator Ekong Samson, assured of the Senate’s commitment to ensuring Nigeria’s education system keeps pace with global standards.
On his part, Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Examination Bodies, Hon. Oboku Oforji (PDP, Bayelsa), described NECO’s efforts as commendable and said the oversight visit reaffirmed lawmakers’ confidence in the Council’s leadership and direction.
