The Federal Government on Thursday unveiled a major reform in Nigeria’s examination system with the introduction of computer-based examinations, CBE, by the National Examinations Council, NECO, as the nation celebrated the examination body’s 25 years of existence amid glowing tributes to its rise from a troubled national initiative to an internationally recognised.
The minister of education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who announced the reform at NECO’s Silver Jubilee celebration in Abuja, declared that the transition to technology-driven examinations would significantly curb examination malpractice and reposition Nigeria’s assessment system for global competitiveness.
Speaking at the event held at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Conference Centre, Garki, Abuja, Alausa described NECO as a “standard-bearer for credible external examinations”, saying the council had become a critical pillar in safeguarding integrity, fairness and accountability in Nigeria’s education sector.
“We are at the threshold of a very important reform, which NECO is spearheading, and that is the Computer-Based Examination, which is to commence this year,” the minister said.
According to him, the new system would provide real-time monitoring of candidates, track suspicious activities and drastically reduce examination fraud that has continued to undermine confidence in public examinations.
The minister said NECO’s 25-year journey reflected Nigeria’s determination to build a credible national examination system capable of guaranteeing equal opportunities for learners across the country.
He noted that the council had over the years strengthened examination security, improved reliability in scoring, widened access to examinations in underserved areas and embraced technological innovations that restored public confidence in national certification.
Alausa said the Ministry of Education would continue to provide policy direction and oversight to ensure NECO examinations aligned with national curricula, learning outcomes and broader development goals.