NUT faults WAEC and NECO shift to computer-based testing, says it won’t curb exam malpractice

NUT National President, Comrade Audu Amba, said during an interview in Abuja that a transition to CBT will not end examination malpractice in the country. He added that the real issue driving malpractice is the overemphasis on paper qualifications.

Amba said the Nigerian society places too much value on certificates and grades without considering the actual intelligence or capacity of the student. Food tours

He said this obsession pushes students and sometimes their parents to go to extreme lengths to obtain results they cannot defend.

“We have placed more emphasis on certificates. What is your grade? What is your scores? Not minding the intellectual intelligence of that student.

In my village, for instance, the network ceases. You can’t get it until you get to a particular place, and so it is in many of our villages.

“There are also some of our students who have not seen a computer before, not to mention operating it,” he said.

Comrade Audu Amba decryed the persistent neglect of teachers, especially at the primary school level. He noted that teachers remain the most disregarded professionals in the country despite their foundational role in nation-building.

He called on the government to urgently prioritise funding for basic education, describing it as the bedrock of the entire education system.

The Federal Government announced earlier this year that WAEC and NECO will fully transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for all examinations starting from the May/June 2026 cycle.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, revealed that both examination bodies would begin administering their objective questions via CBT as early as November 2025.

Alausa said the full implementation, covering both multiple-choice and essay papers, would take effect by May/June 2026, with the goal of eliminating examination malpractices.

Amba described it as ironic that those now in leadership positions, so many of whom were taught by these same teachers, have become the ones undermining the teaching profession.

The NUT president stressed that teachers live under the same economic realities as everyone else and deserve equal treatment.

“We go to the same market, belong to the same community, pay the same house rent, go to the same hospital, just like any other Nigerians,” he said.