Nigeria’s dream of transitioning its biggest secondary school exam to full computer-based testing (CBT) has hit a major pause. The House of Representatives on Thursday ordered the Federal Ministry of Education and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to suspend the planned rollout for the 2026 WASSCE. The lawmakers say the country is simply not ready.
The decision followed a motion of urgent public importance moved by Kelechi Wogu, who warned that forcing students into CBT two years from now would “trigger massive failure, frustration, and mental distress,” especially among candidates in under-resourced communities.
‘Schools Are Not Prepared, Students Will Suffer’ – Lawmaker Warns
Wogu told the House that the Ministry of Education appeared determined to push ahead with the digital exam despite objections from the National Union of Teachers, principals, and school administrators, particularly in rural areas where over 70% of WASSCE candidates reside. “This is not about resisting innovation,” Wogu said. “It’s about acknowledging reality. Many schools lack computer labs, internet, electricity, or ICT teachers. Rushing into CBT will leave these students behind.” He reminded lawmakers of the technical meltdown that hit WAEC’s results portal earlier in 2025, which left thousands of candidates unable to access their results for days. That incident, he argued, showed that even the exam body itself still has infrastructure gaps to fix. In other news, iNaijanow shared a story on the US CPC designation and what it means for Nigeria.
According to data presented during the debate, many public schools outside major cities operate with no functional computer laboratories, unreliable electricity (or none at all), poor or zero internet connectivity, inadequate number of computers and shortage of ICT teachers
Wogu said pushing CBT in this environment would amount to “institutionalizing failure” for students who already battle huge inequalities.
House Gives New Timeline, Orders Government to Invest First
Following a unanimous vote, the House directed the Ministry of Education, working with state governments, to include dedicated funding in the 2026–2029 budgets for building ICT halls, procuring computers and servers, providing stable internet access, recruiting and training ICT teachers and installing backup power systems in schools. The House further resolved that CBT should not be implemented before the 2030 academic year, giving governments and schools a four-year window to prepare. The Committees on Basic Education, Digital and Information Technology, Examination Bodies, and Labour were mandated to engage WAEC and other stakeholders and report back in four weeks.
Why WAEC Wanted 2026
WAEC had announced in 2024 that it would begin migrating the WASSCE to CBT to curb exam malpractice, speed up scoring, modernise Nigeria’s education system, and align with global assessment trends.
Supporters of the move have long argued that digital testing enhances transparency, reduces human error, speeds up result processing and aligns Nigerian students with global digital standards. But critics counter that the country must fix the basics first.
WAEC’s 2026 Requirements
Ahead of the planned transition, WAEC listed the minimum requirements each school must meet:
- 250 functional laptops (plus 10% backup)
- Robust server system supporting 250 devices
- Local Area Network (LAN)
- Air-conditioned exam hall
- CCTV surveillance
- Uninterrupted power supply
- 40kVA backup generator
- Holding room for candidates
For many schools, especially rural public schools, these requirements remain far out of reach.
Analysts say the House’s intervention could save Nigeria from a potentially chaotic rollout similar to the early days of JAMB’s transition to CBT, which saw repeated system failures, power issues, and student complaints. With the 2030 extension, lawmakers insist the country now has the breathing space to build a fair, inclusive, and technologically ready examination system.
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