Tunji Alausa Says FG Has Eliminated WAEC, NECO Exam Question Leakages Through Major Reforms

Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, has said the Federal Government has eliminated the leakage of examination questions in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examinations Council examinations through recent reforms in the education sector.

Alausa said the government had also significantly reduced examination malpractice through the adoption of computer-based testing and a hybrid examination system.

The minister stated this in his remarks at the maiden convocation ceremony of Miva Open University held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, Lagos.

According to him, the reforms were introduced to restore the credibility and integrity of public examinations in the country.

“We initiated major examination reforms to adopt computer-based testing and a hybrid examination system. I can definitely report to you that the pervasive cheating that pervaded WAEC and NECO is now a thing of the past. Within just one year, we have brought it down to zero,” he said.

Alausa recalled how examination question leakages were a recurring problem, saying he frequently received alerts about compromised WAEC papers before the examinations were conducted.

“Just last year, whenever WAEC examinations were being conducted, I would wake up with palpitations because my colleague, the Minister of State for Education, would send messages informing me that the questions for a particular subject had already leaked.

“I would forward them to the WAEC Head of National Office and ask whether they were genuine questions, and the response would often be, ‘Honourable Minister, I’m sorry, it is true,’” he said.

The minister said the development had negative consequences on students, particularly those who intended to sit examinations honestly.

“When questions leak before examinations, even students who want to do the right thing are pressured into doing the wrong thing. That was the reality for decades,” he said.

Alausa attributed the progress to aggressive interventions by the Federal Government aimed at safeguarding the sanctity of public examinations.

“Today, because we are determined to protect the integrity of our examination system, we have stopped examination malpractice in WAEC and NECO for the first time in the last seven years,” he said.

The minister noted that the reforms formed part of broader education sector changes being implemented under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He added that the Federal Executive Council had approved amendments to the Universal Basic Education Act and the National Senior Secondary School Education Act to strengthen the delivery of education across the country.

Alausa also highlighted other reforms in the sector, including a review of the national curriculum to reduce excessive subject loads and place greater emphasis on foundational learning, critical thinking and future-ready skills.

The minister said the government had invested heavily in medical education, technical and vocational training, student accommodation and digital infrastructure as part of efforts to reposition the education sector and improve access to quality learning opportunities for Nigerians.