The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has expressed strong reservations about the Federal Government’s plan to fully transition WAEC and NECO examinations to computer-based testing (CBT) by 2026, warning that it will not solve the persistent problem of exam malpractice.
NUT National President, Comrade Audu Amba, said the root cause of cheating is the overemphasis on paper qualifications rather than genuine learning and intelligence. “We have placed more emphasis on certificates. What is your grade? What is your scores? Not minding the intellectual intelligence of that student,” Amba said in Abuja. He explained that this obsession drives students and sometimes parents to extreme lengths to obtain results they cannot defend.
Amba also raised concerns about the readiness of schools, particularly in rural areas, to implement CBT. He questioned the availability of electricity, internet connectivity, and trained personnel needed to run computer-based exams effectively. “How many of our teachers in our localities are even computer literate? In my village, for instance, the network ceases. You can’t get it until you get to a particular place,” he said.
The NUT president further lamented the neglect of teachers in Nigeria, especially primary school educators, who have been striking over inadequate wages. “Teachers in Nigeria are the most marginalised set of people,” Amba said, noting that many in leadership positions today were once taught by these same teachers.
The Federal Government announced earlier this year that WAEC and NECO would begin administering objective questions via CBT as early as November 2025, with full implementation, including essay papers, planned for May/June 2026. The move aims to curb exam malpractice, but NUT insists that addressing infrastructure gaps and societal attitudes towards education is essential for success.
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