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Tag: WAEC

  • Ondo vice principal attacked for preventing cheating in WAEC exam

    Ondo vice principal attacked for preventing cheating in WAEC exam

    The Vice Principal of Complete Child Development College, Aule, Akure, in Ondo State, was reportedly beaten up by suspected thugs hired by a student’s parent.

    According to reports, the vice principal identified as Rotifa, was said to have prevented the student from cheating during the ongoing West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) exams, hence the attack.

    A preliminary report of the state government’s investigation on the assault of the Vice Principal, carried out by the Director of Schools, Ondo State Ministry of Education, stated that an android phone was discovered from the SS 3 student during the examination.

    The report reads: “The incident started on May 26, when an android phone was found with one SS 3 student which is contrary to the rules and regulations of the school and Mr Rotifa, the Vice Principal of the school seized the phone from him.

    “On Thursday, the mother of the student came to the school to f!ght with the school management so much that the proprietor of the school ordered that the phone be returned to her, which was done.

    “The brother of the student, who happened to be an old student of the school, later came to the school to harass the Vice Principal and threatened to deal him.

    “After school hours, the boys were seen loitering in the street and the proprietor was informed who told Mr Rotifa to go to the police station to lodge a complaint.

    “He went and two policemen took him in their van to look for the boys probably for arrest.

    “They couldn’t get them. On their way back to the station, the boys waylaid the Police van, stopped it, brought out Mr Rotifa and be@t him up. He was taken to the hospital for treatment.

    “According to the principal of the school, he has been discharged from the hospital but did not go back to his house for the fear of the boys coming back for him. Further investigations and efforts to get the culprit are in progress.

    “Arrangements for the safety of the staff and students of the school for period of the remaining papers in WASSCE are ongoing.”

  • WAEC: English paper should be cancelled – Katsina Govt

    WAEC: English paper should be cancelled – Katsina Govt

    The Katsina State Government on Saturday called for the cancellation of the English language examination recently conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

    The call followed an incident which led to the commencement of the examination several hours behind the scheduled time nationwide on Wednesday.

    The position of the state was announced in Katsina by Hajiya Zainab Musa-Musawa, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education during a visit to the WAEC office in Katsina.

    The position was based on a petition signed by Hajiya Ummukhair Ahmed, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry.

    Recall that WAEC blamed the situation on heightened efforts to curb examination malpractice, particularly the leakage of question papers.

    “Students had to write the examination at night without light until torch lights, handsets lights, security lights were provided,” she said.

    Musa-Musawa also called on schools, parents and the communities to exercise patience and wait for the outcome of the petition.

  • Students escape death as classrooms collapse during WAEC exams

    Students escape death as classrooms collapse during WAEC exams

    Several students participating in the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) 2025 at Government Secondary School, Namnai, located in the Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, were feared injured on Wednesday evening when their classrooms collapsed due to a heavy downpour accompanied by a windstorm.

    The collapse, according to reports was caused by a heavy rainstorm accompanied by strong winds, trapped students and invigilators under the rubble for hours.

    According to the report, residents intervened and rescued the students, who narrowly escaped serious injury or death.

    Eyewitnesses said the incident was the second group of students to be affected, as the first set had already completed their exams and left the premises.

    “The collapse occurred around 6 pm, and we quickly rushed the injured students and teachers to the nearby Primary Healthcare Centre for treatment. Apart from the school, the storm also destroyed many houses in our community, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake,” Alhaji DanAzumi Lauris, one of the eyewitnesses, said.

    This incident came after students in parts of Benue State were reported to have taken their examination at midnight and in darkness.

  • WAEC apologises for conducting English exam late

    WAEC apologises for conducting English exam late

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has apologised for delay in conducting  English Language Paper 2 in the ongoing 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

    The examination  took place on Wednesday evening.

    In a statement by Moyosola Adesina, Acting Head of Public Affairs Department of
    WAEC, the council said that it encountered challenges.

    ”While maintaining the integrity and security of our examination, we faced considerable challenges primarily due to our major aim of preventing leakage of any paper.

    “We recognise the importance of timely conduct of examinations and the impact of this decision on candidates, their schools and parents, and we sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused,” WAEC stated.

    It said that it successfully achieved its objective but it inadvertently impacted the timeliness and seamless conduct of the examination.

    “In spite our best efforts, we encountered logistical hurdles, security concerns and socio-cultural factors that negatively influenced our operations,” WAEC said.

    The council re-affirmed its committment to upholding the highest standard in examination conduct, and pledged to continue to promote academic excellence.

  • Anger as WAEC students write examination in darkness at midnight

    Anger as WAEC students write examination in darkness at midnight

    A video of Nigerian secondary students writing the objective section of their English examination under duress on Wednesday night due to a prolonged delay in the delivery of exam papers has sparked a widespread condemnation.

    TheNewsGuru reports that the affected candidates, students of a secondary school in Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State had completed the essay component of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) but, had to wait several hours for the arrival of the exam officer with the objective section. The delay stretched into the night, with some centres reportedly concluding the exams as late as 11:00 p.m.

    Speaking, one student who requested anonymity, described the ordeal: “We waited for hours after writing the essay. When the exam officer finally came, we had to use our phone lights and lanterns to write the objective section. It was very stressful.”

    Another candidate added: “The exam officer didn’t give any meaningful explanation for the delay. He just came, handed over the papers, and said nothing about why he was late.”

    The late-night examinations caused panic among parents, many of whom rushed to the schools upon learning that their children were still writing papers deep into the night.

    Another  affected community is Owukpa, a visibly distressed parent expressed concern over the safety and wellbeing of the students: “This is a national disgrace. How can children be writing exams in the bush, under darkness, at such a dangerous hour? Is this how we want to educate the future of Nigeria?”

    The security challenges in the area further complicated the situation. According to a local community leader in Owukpa, the exam officer had to be accommodated overnight due to safety concerns: “We had no choice but to let him sleep here. It was already past 11 p.m. and nobody goes anywhere at that hour in this part of the country. The government needs to intervene.”

    Reports suggest that the irregularities were not confined to Ogbadibo alone. In several other parts of Benue, students did not receive the objective papers at all and are now expected to write them the following morning—raising serious questions about the integrity of the examination process.

    A teacher from one of the affected schools voiced concerns over the credibility of the exams: “This kind of irregularity puts the integrity of the examination at risk. We expect WAEC to speak on this and take urgent corrective measures.”

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) had yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident as of the time of filing this report.

  • Gombe pays N500m exam fees for indigent students

    Gombe pays N500m exam fees for indigent students

    The Gombe government says it has expended N500 million on payment of external examination fees for indigent students in the state.

    The Commissioner for Education, Prof. Aishatu Maigari, stated this in an interview on Wednesday in Gombe.

    She said payments were made in respect of candidates for the West African Examination Council (WAEC), the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), and National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), and Student Exchange programme.

    “Gov. Inuwa Yahaya’s vision is not limited to ease the financial burdens on the parents but reshaping the entire educational infrastructure in the state.

    “This significant investment is an indication of his administration’s commitment to inclusive, accessible and future focused education.

    “The initiative is part of reforms aimed at empowering young people with the knowledge and skills needed for a self reliant and productive future,” she told NAN.

    Maigari said the state government also upgraded five mega schools, equipped with modern facilities such as ICT centres, solar systems, roads and staff quarters.

    She said the state government accorded premium to the teacher development programmes in line with global best practices.

    “Teachers received specialised training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in education; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and Agricultural Sciences.”

  • FG vows full WAEC CBT shift by 2026

    FG vows full WAEC CBT shift by 2026

    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.

    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.

  • WAEC, NECO to adopt CBT for exams 2026

    WAEC, NECO to adopt CBT for exams 2026

    The Federal Government has directed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to adopt full Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for all their examinations by 2026.

    The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during the monitoring of the ongoing exams alongside JAMB officials, in Bwari on Monday.

    More than 2 million candidates registered for the ongoing examination in more than 800 centres across the country.

    Alausa revealed that both the WAEC and NECO would start administering their objective papers via CBT effective this November.

    According to him, subsequently adopting the CBT for the essay and objective components would commence fully 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 disclosed 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 to 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 more than 40 candidates had been arrested for malpractice, including impersonation and attempting to smuggle out exam questions with hidden cameras.

    He added that of the registered candidates, more than 41,000 were underage.

  • WAEC Withdraws accreditation of 574 Schools over exam malpractice

    WAEC Withdraws accreditation of 574 Schools over exam malpractice

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Nigeria, has withdrawn the accreditation of 574 schools due to their involvement in examination malpractice.

    Speaking at a press conference on Thursday at WAEC’s national headquarters in Lagos, the Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, confirmed that the list of affected schools has already been forwarded to the federal government.

    “This year, we have withdrawn recognition from 574 schools. This approach will also be adopted by other examination bodies,” Dr. Dangut stated.
    He added that these schools are no longer authorised to serve as WAEC examination centres and will be excluded from future exam activities.

    Looking ahead to the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), scheduled to run from Thursday, April 24 to Friday, June 20, Dr. Dangut announced that 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools have registered. Of these, 979,228 are male and 994,025 are female—an increase of 158,627 candidates compared to the previous year.

    Dr. Dangut also emphasized WAEC’s continued push towards innovation, noting the introduction of the first-ever Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates.
    He revealed that to maintain academic integrity, each student will receive a unique set of questions, reducing the risk of cheating.

  • WAEC releases 2025 CB-WASSCE results

    WAEC releases 2025 CB-WASSCE results

    The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) on Saturday officially announced the release of results for the 2025 First Series of the Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for private candidates.

    The examination body in a brief statement made this known via its official 𝕏 handle.

    “The results of the Computer-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for Private Candidates, 2025-First Series have been released,” WAEC stated.

    Further details on the results are expected to be provided in subsequent updates.