FG Gives Verdict on CBT-WASSCE as Nationwide Rollout Plans Gather Pace

(WASSCE. Photo by The Sun Nigeria)

The Federal Government has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the ongoing Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CBT-WASSCE), describing the exercise as largely successful as authorities weigh the possibility of a full nationwide transition to digital examinations.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, gave this assessment after personally monitoring examination centres at the Government Secondary School, Garki, and the Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, both in Abuja.

She reported that the exercise had gone smoothly at the centres visited, with students appearing confident and comfortable on the computer-based platform and no significant technical issues recorded.

The minister noted that this marked the first time CBT examinations of this nature were being conducted in government schools, and that interactions with candidates revealed they were well prepared for the digital format and encountered little difficulty navigating the system.

She added that some centres had already successfully completed multiple examination sessions, crediting the seamless experience to thorough pilot testing and software validation carried out ahead of deployment.

In some centres, she disclosed, candidates had already sat as many as seven papers through the CBT platform without any technical disruptions.

On the issue of power supply often a major concern in Nigerian examination settings the minister said this had not posed any challenge, as schools were guided to rely on alternative energy sources such as solar systems and generators, reducing dependence on the national grid entirely.

Despite the encouraging performance, Prof. Ahmad made clear that the Federal Government would take a careful and phased approach toward a full nationwide rollout of computer-based public examinations.

She explained that while a complete migration to CBT had initially been projected for 2026, infrastructure gaps in rural and underserved communities make an immediate nationwide implementation unrealistic at this time.

Schools currently participating in the CBT examinations were selected based on the availability of functional ICT infrastructure and sufficient computer systems to accommodate candidates across multiple sessions.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s long-term commitment to digitising all public examinations, but stressed that the necessary infrastructure must be firmly in place before any definitive timeline for full implementation is announced.

She noted that the government is actively engaging state governments and working to strengthen facilities in federal unity colleges as part of this gradual process.

At the paper-and-pencil examination centre at the Federal Government Boys’ College in Garki, the minister commended both candidates and invigilators for maintaining an orderly and credible examination atmosphere, noting that students were well spaced, focused, and conducted themselves appropriately throughout.

She described the monitoring visit as part of broader federal efforts to assess school readiness and evaluate the effectiveness of the expanded CBexamination framework being rolled out across the country.