The Federal Government has commended the smooth and credible conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), describing the successful introduction of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in selected centres as a major milestone in Nigeria’s education reform efforts.
The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, gave the commendation during an inspection tour of examination centres in Abuja, where she monitored the exercise at Government Secondary School, Garki, and Apo Boys Secondary School.
Speaking after the visit, the minister expressed satisfaction with the overall conduct of the examination, noting that candidates demonstrated discipline, preparedness, and confidence in both CBT and traditional paper-and-pencil formats.
“What we have seen today is very encouraging. The examinations are progressing smoothly, and the candidates have shown remarkable preparedness and confidence. We are particularly pleased with the performance of students using the CBT platform, which has operated seamlessly,” she said.
Professor Ahmad observed that students at CBT centres navigated the digital platform with ease and reported no significant technical challenges, while conventional examination centres maintained orderly and well-supervised environments.
She disclosed that extensive pilot testing was conducted before the rollout of CBT and that alternative power solutions were put in place to guarantee uninterrupted examinations.
“Before introducing CBT on this scale, we carried out extensive pilot testing and made adequate preparations. We also deployed solar systems and generators to ensure stable power supply during the examinations,” the minister stated.
Reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to educational reforms, she stressed that the transition to digital examinations would be gradual and guided by infrastructure readiness across the country.
“Our goal is a gradual, inclusive, and sustainable transition to digital examinations. We will continue to assess infrastructure readiness and ensure that no student is disadvantaged in the process,” she added.
The Head of National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Dangut, said the 2026 WASSCE recorded massive participation nationwide.
“A total of 1,959,636 candidates from about 29,000 schools registered for the 2026 WASSCE. This demonstrates the scale of the examination and the confidence stakeholders continue to place in the system,” Dangut said.
The Federal Government reiterated that the ongoing transition towards a fully digital examination system is being carefully managed to guarantee fairness, inclusiveness, and reliability.
“No candidate, school, or region will be left behind as we continue to modernise Nigeria’s examination system. Our reforms are designed to promote credibility, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all learners,” the minister assured.
The government maintained that the success recorded so far in the ongoing WASSCE reinforces its commitment to leveraging technology to improve the quality and integrity of examinations across the country.