By FUNMILAYO ADEYEMI

The Federal Government has announced a comprehensive set of measures aimed at eliminating examination malpractices in 2026 and beyond.

This measure is geared towards eliminating examination malpractices in the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday by Mrs. Folasade Boriowo, Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education.

Boriowo said the new initiative was part of the ongoing reforms to strengthen credibility, transparency, and public confidence in Nigeria’s assessment system.

She quoted the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, to have said that the ministry was intensifying oversight and deploying targeted strategies to safeguard the integrity of national examinations.

Among the key measures, he said, was the introduction of enhanced questions’ randomisation and serialisation mechanisms.

He said while all candidates would answer the same examination questions, the sequencing and arrangement would differ for each candidate, ensuring that every student wrote a unique version of the examination and significantly reducing opportunities for collusion.

Alausa reaffirmed the ministry’s strict policy prohibiting the transfer of candidates at the Senior Secondary School Three (SS3) level.

“This directive, already communicated through an official circular, will be rigorously enforced to prevent last-minute school changes often associated with examination malpractices.

“To further ensure transparency, a new national continuous assessment guidelines have been developed for immediate implementation.

“All examination bodies (WAEC, NECO, NBAIS e.t.c.) must strictly follow the standardised submission deadlines for each academic period,” he said.

Alausa said the submission windows for first term continuous assessment would be in January while that of the second and third term continuous assessments would be in April and August respectively.

According to him, the timelines are mandatory and designed to ensure consistency, data integrity, and prompt processing of continuous assessment records across the country.

In addition, Alausa said the ministry was also introducing a unique Examination Learners’ Identity Number for all candidates.

The identifier, he said, would enable effective tracking of learners throughout the examination process, strengthen monitoring and accountability, and support long-term reforms in assessment, certification, and data management.

He assured the stakeholders that examination administration would be conducted under strengthened supervision and coordination with relevant examination bodies to ensure strict compliance with established guidelines and ethical standards.

He added that these measures reflected the Federal Government’s resolve to conduct examinations that are credible, fair, and reflective of global best practices, while addressing Nigeria’s unique educational realities.

He, however, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working closely with all examination bodies, state governments, school administrators, parents, and candidates to ensure the successful implementation of these strategies and the smooth conduct of the 2026 examinations nationwide. (NAN)