By Ola Kay
Through the aid of advanced technology, the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, has introduced the first-ever Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination for School Candidates.
The council said this way it hopes to ensure a better examination delivery while putting an end to malpractice.
Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC, Dr. Amos Dangut, stated during a press briefing at the WAEC National Office in Yaba, Lagos, on Thursday that the council was fully prepared for the conduct of the examination.
Dr. Dagut informed that WASSCE for school candidates, 2025, would be held from Thursday, April 24 to Friday, June 20, 2025, across Nigeria.12 April 2025,” adding that, “It will interest you to know that from this year, two candidates will not have the same questions on each number. This is part of a paradigm shift in test administration techniques to uphold academic integrity.”
He said that a total of 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools had registered to take the exam, an increase of over 158,000 from the previous year. Of this number, 979,228 are males (49.63 per cent) and 994,025 females (50.37 per cent), showing a continuing rise in female participation.
“The examination will cover 74 subjects with 196 papers, and over 26,000 senior secondary school teachers will serve as supervisors nationwide,” he revealed, even as he noted the security challenges that had previously affected exam administration in some parts of the country.
“Conducting examinations in such situations has been challenging, though surmounted. The Council has continued to partner with the Nigeria Police Force and State Governments to ensure the smooth and hitch-free conduct of the examination, ” he assured.
Dangut warned candidates, supervisors, and schools to adhere strictly to examination rules by avoiding all forms of malpractice.
He said: “The Council decisively deals with examination malpractice. Candidates’ paper variations for the CB-WASSCE 2025 have been preprinted. Any candidate who chooses to write a paper other than the one assigned will bear the consequences,” urging parents, teachers, and school officials to discourage malpractice and called on media organisations to support WAEC’s awareness campaigns.
Dangut further added that WAEC had unveiled several digital platforms, which include WAEC E-Study Portal, (which provides access to past questions, marking schemes), and learning plans, WAEC E-Learning Portal, (which offers performance analysis and solutions to common challenges faced by students), including WAEC Konnect, (which facilitates communication and updates for candidates and stakeholders.)
“In addition, WAEC has compiled Past Question Papers and Chief Examiners’ Reports for various subject areas to help candidates understand expectations and improve performance,” stated the Head of the Nigeria National Office of WAEC,
Dangut used the occasion to issue warning to operators of rogue websites, describing them as a threat to the future of Nigerian students.
“Parents are hereby cautioned to desist from patronising these evildoers who are hell-bent on frustrating the efforts of WAEC,” he warned.
However , he assured that the results of the 2025 examination would be released 45 days after the last paper, and certificates issued within 90 days of the conduct of the examination.
Dangut stressed the commitment of the council to conducting a credible examination in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education, State Ministries, security agencies, and other stakeholders.
He commended stakeholders at different levels for their support, while appreciating the partnership of the media towards ensuring the success of WASSCE for School Candidates in 2025.
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