The Federal Government has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination, describing the Computer-Based Test (CBT) format as a major step towards eliminating examination malpractice and improving the quality of secondary education.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, gave the assessment after monitoring the examination at Redeemers Teap International School, Garki II, and Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Gudu, Abuja.
According to the minister, candidates have embraced the CBT format, with many describing it as easier, more convenient and user-friendly than the traditional paper-based examination.
She said the monitoring exercise revealed that the examination was conducted smoothly, with no reported cases of network failure, system malfunction or delays.
Prof. Ahmad noted that one of the greatest advantages of CBT is its ability to curb examination malpractice through the randomisation of questions, making it impossible for candidates seated next to one another to answer identical questions.
She, however, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would only implement a full nationwide transition to CBT after providing the necessary infrastructure to ensure no student is disadvantaged.
“We will not begin the complete transition until everything is ready because we do not want to put any student at a disadvantage,” she said, adding that the government is working with the National Assembly, state governments, private partners and other stakeholders to expand digital examination infrastructure across the country.
The minister reaffirmed that the adoption of technology remains central to the government’s efforts to safeguard the integrity of public examinations.
Also speaking, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, disclosed that the council plans to release the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination results by the first week of September, or earlier, due to the faster processing enabled by the CBT system.
He revealed that 1,378,048 candidates registered for this year’s examination nationwide, adding that female candidates slightly outnumbered their male counterparts. He also confirmed that no technical glitches had been recorded since the commencement of the CBT examination.
The Federal Government is gradually expanding CBT examinations nationwide as part of broader education reforms aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and credibility in Nigeria’s examination system while tackling examination malpractice through technology.
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