WAEC Introduces Paper Randomisation To Curb Malpractice

The West African Examinations Council has introduced a strengthened computer-based examination system designed to curb malpractice during the ongoing 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Amos Josiah Dangut, disclosed this on Monday while briefing journalists in Lagos.

According to Dangut, the council has improved its examination paper serialisation system to ensure that no two candidates receive the same sequence of questions during the examination.

“In our pursuit of leveraging modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to improve service delivery, the council has continued the serialisation of examination papers. This innovation ensures that no two candidates have the same question sequence,” he said.

Dangut explained that the Computer-Based WASSCE for school candidates commenced on April 21 with practical papers and is expected to end on June 19, spanning eight weeks and three days.

He revealed that a total of 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the examination, comprising 958,564 males and 1,001,072 females, indicating increased female participation compared to the previous year.

The WAEC official noted that the computer-based format introduced in 2025 had gained wider acceptance, including among offshore schools in neighbouring countries using the WAEC syllabus.

He added that candidates would sit for 37 subjects comprising 97 papers, while about 29,000 senior secondary school teachers nominated by Ministries of Education across the country are serving as supervisors.

Dangut also confirmed that the National Identification Number (NIN) has now been integrated into the registration process in compliance with Federal Government directives.

Addressing concerns over insecurity, he acknowledged that security challenges in some parts of the country had affected examination logistics, but said WAEC was collaborating with the Nigeria Police Force, other security agencies and state governments to ensure smooth conduct of the examination.

He warned candidates, schools and supervisors against involvement in examination malpractice, stressing that sanctions approved by the Nigeria Examinations Committee would be strictly enforced.

Dangut further cautioned parents against patronising fraudulent websites linked to examination malpractice, noting that WAEC and security agencies are monitoring and prosecuting offenders.

The council also highlighted several digital innovations introduced to improve examination administration and candidate experience, including WAEC Verify, the WAEC digital certificate platform, WAEC Chatbot, Centre Locator, Digital Examiners Marks System and an examination malpractice portal.

He added that educational support tools such as past question papers, Chief Examiners’ Reports, WAEC E-Study Portal, E-Learning Portal and WAEC Konnect remain available to assist candidates in their preparations.

Dangut assured stakeholders that results for the 2026 Computer-Based WASSCE would be released within 45 days after the last paper, while certificates would be issued to schools within 90 days, with digital copies accessible online.