In a sweeping move to reinforce examination integrity, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has revoked the licenses of 574 secondary schools in Nigeria for their involvement in various forms of examination malpractice.
Dr. Amos Dangut, Head of WAEC’s National Office, disclosed this development to journalists at the council’s Lagos headquarters. He confirmed that the affected schools will no longer be recognised as official examination centres by WAEC, as part of a wider crackdown aimed at curbing academic dishonesty in the country.
“We have submitted the names of these schools to the Federal Ministry of Education for appropriate action. Their recognition as examination centres has been withdrawn, and WAEC will no longer conduct exams in those locations,” Dr. Dangut stated.
The decision marks a significant step in WAEC’s strategy to ensure credibility in the administration of its examinations and is expected to set a precedent for other examining bodies.
As WAEC prepares for the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), scheduled between April 24 and June 20, Dr. Dangut revealed that a total of 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools have registered—an increase of over 158,000 from the previous year. Of this figure, 979,228 are male and 994,025 are female candidates.
He also announced a major innovation: the introduction of Computer-Based WASSCE (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates, designed to promote fairness and reduce cheating. According to Dangut, no two candidates will receive identical sets of questions, a move poised to enhance examination credibility and discourage malpractice.
