NECO CBT revolution dealing fresh blow to exam malpractice — Education minister

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By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

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The Federal Government on Wednesday said the National Examinations Council (NECO) Computer-Based Test (CBT) Senior School Certificate Examination had significantly reduced opportunities for examination malpractice, following reports of a smooth exercise and positive feedback from candidates.

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The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, stated this while monitoring the ongoing examination at Redeemers Teap School and Anglican Girls’ Grammar School in Abuja.

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Ahmad described the successful conduct of the CBT examination as a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to restore confidence and credibility to public examinations.

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She said interactions with candidates showed widespread acceptance of the new format, with many describing it as easier, more transparent and more efficient than the traditional paper-based examination system.

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According to the minister, candidates confirmed that the examination started as scheduled without technical challenges, while the randomisation of questions ensured that no two candidates received identical question sets, thereby reducing the possibility of collusion and cheating.

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“I spoke with many of the students, and most of them said they preferred the CBT examination. They also confirmed that they had not seen the examination questions before the test and that each candidate answered a different set of questions randomly.

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“The CBT makes communication between candidates impossible and is one of the most effective ways of tackling examination malpractice,” she said.

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Ahmad, however, assured Nigerians that the government would not rush the full nationwide transition to CBT until adequate infrastructure was available to ensure that no candidate was disadvantaged.

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She said the Federal Government was working with the National Assembly, state governments, private sector partners and other stakeholders to expand the facilities required for a smooth nationwide implementation.

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“We will not begin the full transition until everything is in place because we do not want to put any student at a disadvantage,” she said.

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The minister added that the CBT system would strengthen the credibility of Nigeria’s examination process by ensuring that candidates’ success was based strictly on merit.

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Also speaking, NECO Registrar, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, said the council had recorded no technical challenges since the commencement of the examination, describing the exercise as one of the smoothest in its history.

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“They assured me that since the commencement of this year’s examination, there has been no technical glitch. The examinations started on time, with no hiccups, network failures or operational challenges,” he said.

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Wushishi disclosed that 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination, with female candidates slightly higher in number than male candidates.

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He attributed the increased participation of girls to sustained government efforts aimed at promoting girl-child education.

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The NECO registrar also disclosed that the council currently operates about 10 CBT centres in the Federal Capital Territory and expressed optimism that the examination results would be released in the first week of September to support the 2026 admission process.

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He said the introduction of randomised questions had greatly reduced malpractice opportunities and enhanced public confidence in the credibility of NECO examinations.

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A candidate at Redeemers Teap School, Ambassador Alabi, described the CBT examination as seamless and more convenient than the conventional paper-based format.

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Similarly, Isaac Abioro, a candidate at Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, said the exercise had been smooth, efficient and free from technical difficulties.

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The Principal of Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Mrs Nkiruka Nwafor, welcomed the transition, saying it would better prepare students for a technology-driven world.

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She said the school had already introduced CBT for some internal examinations to familiarise students with digital testing before taking external examinations.

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“The CBT experience is what we’ve all been waiting for. The future our girls are going into is dynamic and heavily ICT-driven.

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“We introduced CBT from the junior classes so that our students become familiar with the system early. It is long overdue, and we are delighted that it is finally happening,” she said.

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