The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria has withdrawn the licenses of 574 schools across the country over their involvement in examination malpractice.
The announcement came on Thursday during a press briefing held at the WAEC national headquarters in Lagos. The Head of National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, disclosed that the affected schools will be barred from hosting the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), which is scheduled to run from Thursday, April 24 to Friday, June 20, 2025.
“These are schools whose recognition has been withdrawn. We will not conduct examinations in those centres—they no longer exist to us in that regard,” Dangut stated.
WAEC has also forwarded the list of the delisted schools to the Federal Government, urging further collaboration with other examining bodies to enforce similar sanctions.
Nearly 2 Million Candidates Set for 2025 WASSCE
Dr. Dangut revealed that a total of 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools have registered to sit for this year’s WASSCE.
-
Male candidates: 979,228
-
Female candidates: 994,025
This marks an increase of 158,627 candidates compared to the previous year, highlighting a steady growth in participation.
WAEC Embraces Technology with Computer-Based WASSCE
In a significant development, WAEC will launch its first-ever Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates in 2025.
“As an organization committed to using modern ICT to improve education delivery, we are introducing our maiden CB-WASSCE for school candidates,” Dangut explained.
As part of efforts to reduce malpractice and uphold integrity, candidates will no longer receive the same questions for each number in certain subjects.
“Two candidates will not have the same questions in each number. This innovation aligns with new global test administration techniques and supports the Federal Ministry of Education’s vision,” he added.
On concerns about insecurity, Dr. Dangut assured that WAEC is working closely with state police commands across the country to ensure a safe and hitch-free examination.
This decisive move by WAEC sends a strong message against malpractice and marks a shift toward technological innovation and exam integrity in Nigeria’s education system.
