WAEC, NECO question leakages now zero, says Alausa

Nigeria's Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, declared that the Federal Government has eradicated the leakage of examination questions for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO). He asserted that recent reforms have reduced examination malpractice to zero, restoring credibility and integrity to public examinations.

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We initiated major examination reforms to adopt computer-based testing and a hybrid examination system. I can definitely report to you that the pervasive cheating that pervaded WAEC and NECO is now a thing of the past. Within just one year, we have brought it down to zero.

Speaking at the maiden convocation of Miva Open University, Alausa detailed the adoption of computer-based testing and a hybrid examination system as key to these improvements. He recalled the past, where he would receive alerts about leaked WAEC papers, often confirming their authenticity with examination bodies. This pervasive cheating, he noted, pressured even honest students into wrongdoing.

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Just last year, whenever WAEC examinations were being conducted, I would wake up with palpitations because my colleague, the Minister of State for Education, would send messages informing me that the questions for a particular subject had already leaked.

Alausa attributed the progress to "aggressive interventions" by the Federal Government aimed at safeguarding the examination system. He specifically stated that examination malpractice in WAEC and NECO has been stopped for the first time in seven years. These reforms are part of the broader Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative under President Bola Tinubu's administration.

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When questions leak before examinations, even students who want to do the right thing are pressured into doing the wrong thing. That was the reality for decades.

Further strengthening the education sector, the Federal Executive Council has approved amendments to the Universal Basic Education Act and the National Senior Secondary School Education Act. The minister also mentioned a curriculum review to reduce subject loads and enhance focus on foundational learning, critical thinking, and future-ready skills.

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Today, because we are determined to protect the integrity of our examination system, we have stopped examination malpractice in WAEC and NECO for the first time in the last seven years.