The Federal Government has insisted that it would go ahead with the transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) by 2026.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, May 6.

His comments came amid growing concerns about the integrity of public examinations, especially following the release of statistics from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400.

Responding to questions about the poor UTME results and what they indicate about learning outcomes at the senior secondary school level, Alausa said, “That’s a big concern, and it’s a reflection of exams being done the proper way.

“JAMB conducts its exam using a computer-based testing system. They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been nearly eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO.”

The minister revealed that the government had conducted a comprehensive review of the country’s examination systems shortly after he assumed office.

“We carried out a diagnostic review of how exams are conducted nationwide. I set up a committee to investigate this, and I expect to receive their report in the coming days,” he said.

He further announced that WAEC and NECO would begin migrating their examinations to CBT from November 2025, starting with objective papers, with full implementation—covering essay components—by May/June 2026.

“We have to use technology to fight this fraud. There are so many ‘miracle centres’ and that is simply unacceptable. People cheat during WAEC and NECO exams and then face JAMB, where cheating is nearly impossible. That’s the disparity we’re seeing now. It’s sad,” Alausa said.

He stressed that examination malpractice not only undermines merit but also discourages diligent students.

“The worst part of cheating is that it disincentivises the hard-working ones. If I’m preparing for WAEC or NECO and I know some classmates already have access to the questions, do you think I’ll still study hard?

“No, I’ll be tempted to join them. That’s how good students are corrupted, and that’s exactly what we must stop,” he added.

When asked whether the poor performance of students was due more to weak enforcement or a genuine decline in learning, Alausa acknowledged both factors but emphasised the systemic issue of widespread malpractice.

“We’re addressing the quality of teaching and using technology, including online classes, to support learning from primary to secondary levels. But the pervasive cheating in our high school exams—especially WAEC and NECO—is the core problem,” he said.

“JAMB is now almost 100 percent fraud-free, but WAEC and NECO still have major lapses. Our youths are intelligent, capable, and energetic. It’s the environment that corrupts them, and we’re determined to fix that.”

The minister confirmed that extensive consultations had already been held with the leadership of WAEC, NECO, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS).

“By November this year, WAEC and NECO will begin CBT exams. There’s no going back on that,” he said.

In April, the Federal Government formally directed WAEC and NECO to fully adopt CBT for all examinations by 2026.

The Ministry of Education specified that objective sections must transition by November 2025, with full integration of both objective and essay components by the 2026 examination cycle.

WAEC had already piloted a computer-based format for its private candidates in 2023, with over 8,000 candidates participating in the inaugural edition.