The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has criticized the federal government’s order requiring a complete changeover to computer-based testing (CBT) for WAEC and NECO exams by 2026, arguing that this strategy will not eliminate exam malpractice in Nigeria.
During an interview in Abuja, the NUT National President, Comrade Audu Amba, made this known, claiming that the root of malpractice lies in the nation’s overwhelming focus on academic credentials.
Amba explained that the Nigerian culture assigns excessive importance to certificates and scores while ignoring the actual intelligence or capabilities of the learners.
He pointed out that this obsession often drives students—and in some cases, their parents—to take drastic measures to secure results they cannot legitimately attain.
“We have placed more emphasis on certificates. What is your grade? What is your score? Not minding the intellectual intelligence of that student.
“The students will go out of their way to make sure that they get the marks that will give them the certificate,” he said.
Amba also voiced his worry about whether many schools, especially those located in rural regions, are equipped to adopt CBT for exams.
He questioned the reliability of electricity, internet access, and availability of trained workers in various parts of the country.
“We are talking about CBT exams. Where is the light, manpower, and network? You see, we have a long way to go.
“How many of our teachers in our localities are even computer literate? We don’t sit down within the city and give a directive that cannot be implemented.
“In my village, for instance, the network ceases. You can’t get it until you get to a particular place, and so it is in many of our villages.
‘There are also some of our students who have not seen a computer before, not to mention operating it,” he said.
Comrade Audu Amba also lamented the continued disregard of teachers, particularly those in primary schools. He emphasized that educators remain the most undervalued professionals in the nation, despite being crucial to national progress.
“Teachers in Nigeria are the most marginalised set of people. While every professional is given the necessary attention by the government, teachers are not, most especially the primary school teachers,” Amba said.
He highlighted the prolonged industrial action by primary school teachers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as proof of the government’s lack of concern for the welfare of teachers.
“As we are right now in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the primary school teachers have been on strike for so many months. I think this should be the fourth time they have gone on strike because of the N70,000 minimum wage, which has been implemented for virtually every civil servant in the FCT,” he added.
Amba found it ironic that many of today’s leaders, once taught by these same educators, are now the ones devaluing the teaching profession.
The NUT president asserted that teachers experience the same economic conditions as every other Nigerian and deserve to be treated fairly.
“We go to the same market, belong to the same community, pay the same house rent, go to the same hospital, just like any other Nigerians,” he said.
He urged the government to make basic education funding a top priority, calling it the cornerstone of the nation’s educational framework.
Earlier this year, the Federal Government disclosed that WAEC and NECO exams would fully move to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) beginning with the May/June 2026 session.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said that both examination bodies would begin using CBT for objective questions by November 2025.
Alausa stated that the full rollout, covering multiple-choice and theory sections, would begin in May/June 2026, aimed at stamping out exam malpractice. He also noted that a committee has been created to evaluate national exam standards, with its suggestions expected soon.
