By James Akinlade
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has unveiled new measures aimed at tackling examination malpractice and improving the credibility of its examinations, including the introduction of paper serialisation and a dedicated malpractice portal on its website.
The Head of WAEC’s Nigeria National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut, disclosed this on Monday during a briefing on the ongoing 2026 Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE).
Dangut explained that the newly introduced serialisation system ensures that no two candidates receive examination questions in the same sequence, making cheating more difficult.
He also announced the launch of an “examination malpractice quarter” on the WAEC website where candidates involved in examination misconduct can directly check their status.
According to him, the initiative is part of efforts to improve transparency and eliminate complaints about delays in the release of malpractice-related decisions.
“Candidates can no longer complain about delayed results, especially those linked to examination misconduct. With our innovation of releasing results within 45 days after the last paper, the status of candidates involved in malpractice cases will also be available on the examination malpractice quarter on our website,” he said.
WAEC also recorded a sharp rise in participation in the computer-based examination format, with over 450 schools registering for the 2026 CB-WASSCE compared to only 40 schools in the previous year.
Dangut attributed the increase to the efficiency of the computer-based system and its alignment with international examination standards.
He said the council was working in line with the recommendations of the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure examinations in Nigeria meet global best practices.
As part of additional security measures, WAEC announced that the National Identification Number (NIN) is now compulsory for schools registering candidates for the CB-WASSCE.
Dangut stressed that the council was collaborating closely with security agencies to ensure the smooth conduct of the examination.
The 2026 CB-WASSCE commenced on April 21 and will end on June 19, covering a period of eight weeks and three days.
Providing statistics for this year’s examination, Dangut said a total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination.
He added that female candidates accounted for 51.08 per cent of the total enrollment, reflecting increased female participation.
The examination features 37 subjects and 97 papers, while about 29,000 senior secondary school teachers nominated by various Ministries of Education will serve as supervisors.
Dangut further stated that WAEC had refined its operational systems to improve efficiency and ensure hitch-free conduct of the examination nationwide.
He added that candidates’ results would be released within 45 days after the final paper, while printed certificates would be delivered to schools within 90 days.
Digital certificates, he noted, would also be available through the WAEC Digital Certificate platform, improving access to examination records.
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