The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to fully transition all public examination bodies, including the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), from the traditional paper-pencil testing format to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) by 2026.

Minister of State for Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, made this known on Tuesday while monitoring the pilot phase of the CBT-based Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by NECO at Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja.

This year, NECO recorded a total of 1,367,210 candidates for the school-based SSCE the highest figure in its history.

Responding to public concerns over inadequate infrastructure to support the shift, Alausa stated that the government would deploy both private and public CBT centres across the country to conduct the exams.

He emphasized that school-based SSCEs would, in the near future, be held exclusively at designated CBT centres rather than within school premises.

“WAEC and NECO exams are currently conducted within schools, but we will move away from that model,” the minister said. “Exams will be administered at CBT centres, similar to how JAMB operates. We have thousands of CBT centres nationwide, and these will be fully utilized.”

He noted that the move is not due to students lacking access to facilities, but rather that most schools do not have the necessary infrastructure.

Alausa also highlighted the economic benefit of the transition, saying the government is keen on expanding the value chain of CBT centres beyond the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

“Owners of these CBT centres have invested billions of naira. We must help develop a new value chain in our economy by ensuring these centres can also cater to WAEC and NECO examinations,” he added.

The pilot CBT SSCE conducted by NECO has been described as seamless, with education stakeholders commending the smooth rollout.