Education: Nigeria committed to protecting integrity of public examinations –Minister

*Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister for Education, explains the new initiatives against examination malpractices are designed to strengthen credibility, transparency, and public confidence in assessment system across Nigeria

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

As part of fresh measures to safeguard the integrity of national examinations, the Nigerian Government has announced a set of comprehensive strategies aimed at eliminating examination malpractices in the country.

The government said the measures are aimed at eliminating examination malpractices, especially in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) respectively.

Mrs. Folasade Boriowo, Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, announced this development in a statement issued in Abuja, FCT.

Boriowo explained the new initiatives are part of the ongoing reforms to strengthen credibility, transparency, and public confidence in Nigeria’s assessment system.

The statement quoted Dr. Tunji Alausa, Honourable Minister for Education, to have said that the Ministry was intensifying oversight and deploying targeted strategies to safeguard the integrity of national examinations.

The Minister stated among the key measures is the introduction of enhanced questions’ randomisation and serialisation mechanisms.

Alausa also noted that the measure involves having all candidates to answer the same examination questions, the sequencing and arrangement would differ for each candidate.

This is to ensure that every student writes a unique version of the examination and significantly reduce opportunities for collusion.

He equally reaffirmed the Federal Government’s strict policy prohibiting the transfer of candidates at the Senior Secondary School Three (SS3) level.

The Minister further stated: “This directive, already communicated through an official circular, will be rigorously enforced to prevent last-minute school changes often associated with examination malpractices.

“To further ensure transparency, new national continuous assessment guidelines have been developed for immediate implementation.”

Alausa said: “All examination bodies (WAEC, NECO, NBAIS, etc.) must strictly follow the standardised submission deadlines for each academic period.”

The government stated the submission window for the first-term continuous assessment would be in January 2026 while those of the second- and third-term continuous assessments would be in April and August of the year.

According to him, the timelines are mandatory and designed to ensure consistency, data integrity, and prompt processing of continuous assessment records across the country.

Besides, Alausa said the Federal Ministry of Education was also introducing a unique Examination Learners’ Identity Number for all candidates.

The identifier, he said, would enable effective tracking of learners throughout the examination process, strengthen monitoring and accountability, and support long-term reforms in assessment, certification, and data management.

Alausa as well assured stakeholders in the education industry, that examination administration would be conducted under strengthened supervision and coordination with relevant examination bodies.

This is to ascertain that strict compliance with established guidelines and ethical standards is maintained.

These measures, he explained, reflected the Federal Government’s resolve to conduct examinations that are credible, fair, and reflective of global best practices, while addressing Nigeria’s unique educational realities.

He, however, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working closely with all examination bodies, state governments, school administrators, parents, and candidates to ensure the successful implementation of these strategies, and the smooth conduct of the 2026 examinations across the West African country.

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