The Federal Government has instructed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to fully adopt Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for all examinations by 2026.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made this known during the monitoring of the ongoing exams alongside JAMB officials in Bwari on Monday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that more than 2 million candidates registered for the ongoing examination at over 800 centres nationwide.
Alausa announced that WAEC and NECO would begin administering their objective papers via CBT starting this November, while full adoption for both essay and objective components would commence by May/June 2026.
”If JAMB can successfully conduct CBT exams for more than 2.2 million candidates, WAEC and NECO can do the same.
“We are going to get WAEC and NECO to also start their objective exam on CBT.
“By 2026 exams which will come up in May/June, both the objectives and the essay will be fully on CBT. That is how we can eliminate exam malpractices.”
Alausa also revealed that a committee is currently reviewing examination standards nationwide, with recommendations expected next month.
Earlier, the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, while speaking on the early schedule of the exams, clarified that the board’s UTME exams had always begun at 8:00 a.m.
Oloyede said that candidates were only expected to be on ground by 6:30 a.m., to enable them get accredited before the exams.
He dismissed complaints about early arrival times, noting that it was necessary to screen candidates before exams begin.
“We have always started our exams at 8 o’clock. The first session is 8 o’clock, second session 10:30, third session, 1 p.m, and fourth session 3:30p.m.
Oloyede also debunked claims of candidates being posted to centres they did not choose, stating that investigations showed no such cases happened.
He confirmed that more than 1.6 million out of 2.03 million registered candidates had completed their exams, with about 50,000 remaining.
The registrar further revealed that over 40 candidates had been arrested for malpractice, including impersonation and attempting to smuggle exam questions using hidden cameras. He added that more than 41,000 registered candidates were underage. (NAN)
What you should know
WAEC and NECO are set to transition fully to Computer-Based Testing by 2026, starting with objective papers this November, in a move aimed at enhancing examination integrity and reducing malpractice.
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