…as Atiku warns hike will price millions out-of-school
The Federal Government has approved a hike and harmonization of registration fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, setting a uniform flat rate of ₦50,000 per candidate starting from the 2027 academic session.
The directive represents a substantial increase from previous rates, which previously saw NECO and WAEC internal registration fees stand at roughly ₦30,000 and ₦27,000 respectively.
The Ministry noted that the additional revenue is aimed at cushioning inflationary operation costs and funding the gradual transition from traditional paper tests to Computer-Based Examinations (CBE).
Reacting to the announcement, former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, strongly condemned the policy, warning that it would effectively deny millions of vulnerable Nigerian children access to basic education.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku berated the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for worsening the financial burdens of families already reeling under harsh economic realities.
“It is unconscionable that at a time when Nigerian families are battling record inflation, soaring food prices, rising transportation costs, crippling electricity tariffs, stagnant incomes, and widespread unemployment, the Tinubu administration has chosen to make education even more expensive,” Atiku stated.
Atiku further highlighted Nigeria’s existing crisis of hosting one of the world’s largest out-of-school populations, currently estimated between 10.5 million and 15 million children.
He argued that instead of erecting structural filters and financial roadblocks, a government confronted with a national emergency should be investing aggressively to bring those children back into classrooms.
The former Vice President emphasized that higher fees create a systemic barrier to tertiary education for indigent students, cutting short their educational journey long before they ever reach an admission gate.
This policy also creates a double punishment alongside existing infrastructure deficits, as public universities already admit fewer than 700,000 of the 2 million candidates who apply annually.
The former VO further questioned the government’s heavy emphasis on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), stating that a tertiary student loan offers zero comfort to a child who is priced out of secondary school long before reaching university gates.
The ADC chieftain concluded by calling on President Tinubu to immediately shelve the ₦50,000 exam fee directive, reverse the recent hikes in Unity School fees, and bring together key stakeholders to chart a sustainable, accessible financing path for public education.