The Federal Government has announced fresh measures to curb examination malpractices in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmed, said the measures form part of ongoing reforms to strengthen the credibility, transparency and public confidence in Nigeria’s examination system.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the ministers said the government would introduce enhanced question randomisation and serialisation mechanisms during national examinations.
They explained that although all candidates would answer the same questions, the sequence and arrangement would differ for each student, making collusion more difficult. According to the statement, the approach would ensure that “every student writes a unique version of the examination.”
The ministers also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s strict policy prohibiting the transfer of candidates at the Senior Secondary School Three (SS3) level, stressing that the rule would be “rigorously enforced” to curb last-minute school changes linked to examination fraud.
“To further ensure transparency, new national Continuous Assessment guidelines have been developed for immediate implementation,” the statement said, adding that examination bodies must comply with standardised submission deadlines for first, second and third term assessments in January, April and August respectively.
The statement also disclosed that the ministry would introduce a unique Examination Learners’ Identity Number for all candidates. “This identifier will enable effective tracking of learners throughout the examination process, strengthen monitoring and accountability, and support long-term reforms in assessment and certification,” the ministers said.
They assured stakeholders that examinations would be conducted under strengthened supervision and coordination with examination bodies, noting that the measures reflect the Federal Government’s commitment to credible, fair and globally competitive examinations ahead of the 2026 assessment cycle.
