The Federal Government is rolling out new data-focused controls aimed at eliminating examination malpractice and strengthening the credibility of national examinations ahead of the 2026 test cycle.
The measures, announced by the Federal Ministry of Education, apply to examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), and form part of broader reforms to improve transparency and public confidence in Nigeria’s assessment system.
Speaking on the reforms, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, alongside Professor Suwalba Said Ahmed, the Minister of State for Education, says the Ministry is intensifying oversight and deploying targeted, data-driven strategies to safeguard the integrity of national examinations.
The Ministry has further reaffirmed its policy prohibiting the transfer of candidates at the Senior Secondary School Three (SS3) level, a directive it says will be strictly enforced to prevent last-minute school changes often associated with examination malpractice.
At the centre of the reforms is a new nationwide framework for managing assessment data. The Ministry has introduced national Continuous Assessment (CA) guidelines that standardise submission timelines across all schools and examination bodies. Under the policy, First Term CA records must be submitted in January, Second Term records in April, and Third Term records in August.
“These timelines are mandatory and designed to ensure consistency, data integrity and timely processing of Continuous Assessment records across the country,” the Ministry says.
Education officials say the harmonised timelines are intended to address long-standing challenges including late submissions, score manipulation and inconsistent Continuous Assessment records, which constitute a critical component of final examination outcomes.
The data controls will apply across all recognised examination bodies, including WAEC, NECO and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS), requiring uniform compliance from both public and private secondary schools nationwide.
Beyond Continuous Assessment reforms, the Ministry is also introducing enhanced examination management measures anchored on structured data systems. These include improved question randomisation and serialisation mechanisms, under which candidates will answer the same questions presented in different sequences, reducing opportunities for collusion during examinations.
The Ministry has further reaffirmed its policy prohibiting the transfer of candidates at the Senior Secondary School Three (SS3) level, a directive it says will be strictly enforced to prevent last-minute school changes often associated with examination malpractice.
According to the Ministry, examination administration will now be conducted under strengthened supervision and closer coordination with relevant examination bodies to ensure strict adherence to established guidelines and ethical standards.
The Ministers say the measures underscore the Federal Government’s resolve to deliver examinations that are credible, fair and aligned with global best practices, while addressing Nigeria’s unique education and assessment challenges.
The Federal Ministry of Education says it will continue to engage examination bodies, state governments, school administrators, parents and candidates to ensure smooth implementation of the new data controls as preparations intensify for the 2026 examinations nationwide.
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