The Federal Government has applauded the successful conduct of the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), declaring the rollout of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in selected centres a major milestone in Nigeria’s drive towards a fully digital examination system.
The commendation came from the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, during an inspection tour of examination centres in Abuja, where she monitored the conduct of both CBT and traditional paper-based examinations
Visiting Government Secondary School, Garki, and Apo Boys Secondary School, the minister expressed satisfaction with the level of organisation, discipline and preparedness displayed by candidates and examination officials.
According to her, the introduction of CBT has so far recorded remarkable success, with students adapting seamlessly to the digital platform and reporting minimal technical challenges.
“The exercise has been smooth and credible. Students demonstrated confidence and readiness across both CBT and paper-based formats, while examination centres maintained high standards of supervision and orderliness,” she said.
Professor Ahmad revealed that the government and examination authorities carried out extensive pilot testing before introducing the CBT model nationwide. She added that contingency measures, including the deployment of solar-powered systems and standby generators, were put in place to prevent disruptions caused by power shortages.
The minister stressed that the Federal Government remains committed to a gradual and inclusive migration to digital examinations, insisting that infrastructure readiness across schools would determine the pace of implementation.
She assured Nigerians that authorities would continue to prioritise fairness and accessibility throughout the transition process.
“No candidate or region will be left behind as we modernise the examination system. The transition is being carefully managed to ensure inclusiveness, reliability and equal opportunity for all students,” she stated.
Meanwhile, the Head of National Office of WAEC in Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Dangut, disclosed that a total of 1,959,636 candidates from approximately 29,000 schools are participating in the 2026 WASSCE, underscoring the scale of the examination exercise.
The development marks one of the most significant reforms in Nigeria’s secondary school examination system in recent years, as authorities push to leverage technology to improve efficiency, credibility and transparency in the conduct of national examinations.
Education stakeholders have described the successful CBT rollout as a critical step toward modernising the country’s assessment framework and aligning it with global best practices.
