The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to migrate the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) fully to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026.
Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja during a sensitisation meeting with the National Assembly Committee on Education.
According to him, the transition, which began with private candidates in 2024, has recorded “significant progress” and will be scaled up nationwide.
Dangut explained that mock sessions and online practice platforms would be rolled out to help students familiarise themselves with the system, assuring that no candidate would be left behind.
“We have conducted five exams already, one for private candidates and one for school candidates, and by 2026, deployment will be massive,” he said.
Addressing concerns about infrastructure and cyber risks, Dangut noted that WAEC had successfully conducted exams in remote areas without disruption. He further disclosed that candidates’ performances in CBT had been “empirically better” than in paper-based tests.
Lawmakers also pledged support for the rollout. Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, Senator Ekong Samson, said parliament would work to increase budgetary allocation to education. Similarly, Rep. Oboku Oforji urged WAEC to establish at least one CBT centre in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas before the 2026 deadline.
Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, described the migration as a “historic step” that aligns with ongoing reforms in curriculum, infrastructure, and digital learning tools.
“With WAEC leading this transition, we are confident that the credibility and merit-based outcomes of our examinations will be further secured,” Alausa said.