NECO Targets Full CBT Transition As Hitch-free Exam Boosts Confidence

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

‎The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the National Examinations Council (NECO) Computer-Based Test (CBT) Senior School Certificate Examination,

Ahmad, while monitoring the ongoing examination at Redeemers Teap School and Anglican Girls’ Grammar School on Wednesday in Abuja, described the exercise as a major step towards eliminating examination malpractice.

‎‎She said feedback from candidates at both centres indicated that most of them preferred the CBT format to the traditional paper-based examination.

‎‎According to her, the candidates also confirmed that they experienced no technical glitches and that the examinations commenced on schedule.

‎‎”I spoke with a lot of the students and most of them said they prefer the CBT examination.

‎‎”They also confirmed that they had not seen the examination questions before the test and that each candidate answered a different set of questions randomly.

‎‎”The CBT makes communication between candidates impossible and is one of the best ways of tackling examination malpractice,” she said.

‎The minister said the successful deployment of CBT represented significant progress in the education sector, adding that the government would only proceed with full transition after ensuring adequate infrastructure nationwide.

‎‎”We will not begin the full transition until we have everything in place because we do not want to put any student at a disadvantage.

‎‎”We are working with the National Assembly, state governors, private partners and other stakeholders to provide the facilities required for a seamless nationwide transition,” she said.

‎‎Ahmad added that the adoption of CBT would ultimately improve the quality of education by promoting merit and integrity in examinations.

‎‎Also speaking, the Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, said the council recorded no technical hitch since the commencement of the examination.

‎‎”They assured me that since the commencement of this year’s examination, they did not experience any technical glitch. The exams were ready, they started on time, no hiccups, no network problems, nothing like that,” Wushishi said.

‎‎He disclosed that 1,378,048 candidates registered for this year’s Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), with female candidates slightly outnumbering their male counterparts.

‎‎According to him, the increasing participation of girls reflects the impact of government policies promoting the girl-child education.

‎‎Wushishi also said NECO had about 10 CBT centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that the council is expected to release the examination results by the first week of September to support the 2026 admission process.

‎‎He reaffirmed that the CBT system, through question randomisation, had greatly reduced opportunities for examination malpractice while enhancing the credibility of the examination process.