The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Nigeria has revoked the licences of 574 schools that were found guilty of examination malpractices.
The examination body stated that the schools will not be allowed to conduct examinations even as the 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) commences from Thursday, April 24, 2025.
The Head of WAEC’s National Office, Dr. Amos Dangut made this known during a press briefing on Thursday at the headquarters of the examination body in Lagos.
Dangut said WAEC had forwarded the list of the affected schools to the federal government.
“This year,
we have shared with them a total of 574 schools that have their recognition withdrawn and that is also going to be the same for all examining bodies.
“So, these are those that have got their license revoked as far as the examination centre is concerned. So we will not conduct examinations there. We don’t know them as far as conducting examinations” Dangut said.
The 2025 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) will hold from Thursday, April 24 till Friday, June 20, 2025.
Dangut stated that 1,973,253 candidates registered for the examination from 23,554 schools.
Speaking further to break down the statistics, he stressed that 979,228 were male while 994,025 were female candidates.
He added that the number of candidates registration grew by 158,627 compared to what was obtainable last year.
He emphasised that the body was leveraging on technology to improve delivery, noting the introduction of the maiden Computer-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for the candidates.
“As an organisation that believes in the use of modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to solve myriads of problems as well as improve service delivery to the Nigerian child, the Council has introduced its maiden Computer-based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for School Candidates, 2025.”
He added that as part of the measures to uphold academics and moral integrity, candidates sitting for the examination will not have the same questions in each number.
“It will interest you to know that from this year, two candidates will not have the same questions on each number. We have adopted this innovation for some of the WASSCE codes.
“This initiative is part of the paradigm shift in the education sector, particularly, the adoption of current test administration techniques geared towards upholding the academic and moral integrity of the National Policy on Education and in line with the vision of the Federal Ministry of Education,” he said.
Dangut raised concerns on insecurity, but assured of continued partnership with the police in various states to provide adequate security for smooth and hitch-free conduct of the examination.
Days ago, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) reportedly issued a fresh directive reinforcing the acceptance of the Senior Arabic and Islamic Secondary School Certificate Examination, SAISSCE, as a valid entry qualification into nursing programmes.
According to Sahara Reporters, the circular, sent to various stakeholders including commissioners of health, vice chancellors, provosts, directors of nursing services, and university teaching hospitals, underlines the Council’s commitment to inclusivity in nursing education.
The paper reported that it obtained the memo on Wednesday, signed by Ndagi Alhassan, the acting Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
The Council emphasized that SAISSCE stands alongside other officially recognized certificates, such as the WAEC and NECO SSCE, for admission purposes.
“Please ensure that candidates presenting the SAISSCE are given due consideration for admission based on the specific requirements of the programme.
This is consistent with the Federal Government’s approvals and the National Council on Education, NCE’s approval of the SAISSCE in February 2011 at its 57th meeting in Sokoto, Nigeria.”
“Ensure compliance with this directive and bring the content of this circular to the attention of all concerned.”
“Thank you for your cooperation with the Council in promoting and maintaining excellence in nursing education and practice in Nigeria in line with global best practice,” part of the memo read.
