The Federal Government and the National Assembly have endorsed the West African Examinations Council’s (WAEC) plan to fully adopt Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for its examinations from 2026.

At a sensitisation meeting with lawmakers and stakeholders in Abuja, Minister of Education, Maruf Alausa, said the transition will transform Nigeria’s assessment system and curb examination malpractice.

“We have undertaken to migrate public examinations to computer-based technology as a deliberate step to secure the integrity of our education system. The shift to designated CBT centres will drastically reduce malpractice and safeguard the credibility of our examinations,” Alausa said.

He added that President Bola Tinubu fully supports the reform, describing education as the greatest legacy for Nigeria’s youth and a vital tool for national transformation.

WAEC’s Head of National Office, Amos Dangut, noted that the transition, which began with private candidates in 2024, has already shown “significant progress” and will now be scaled nationwide.

He assured that mock sessions and online practice platforms will be introduced to prepare candidates, while infrastructure and cybersecurity challenges are being addressed.

Dangut added that results from CBT so far indicate that candidates are performing “empirically better” compared to paper-based tests, reaffirming WAEC’s commitment to ensuring no student is left behind.