Yemi Obafemi
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has blamed widespread examination malpractice in WAEC and NECO for the disappointing performance of students in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The Joint Admission Matriculation Board Unified in statement revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Alausa described the outcome as a reflection of how exams should be conducted when strict security and integrity measures are in place.
“That’s a big concern, and it’s a reflection of exams being done the proper way,” he said, referring to the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), which conducts its exams through a computer-based testing (CBT) system. “They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been nearly eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO.”
The Minister revealed that a nationwide diagnostic review of examination practices has been carried out and a committee was formed to investigate the root causes of malpractice. He said the committee’s report is expected in the coming days.
Dr. Alausa condemned the proliferation of “miracle centres,” where candidates are allegedly aided in cheating, calling the trend unacceptable and harmful to honest students. “People cheat during WAEC and NECO exams and then face JAMB, where cheating is nearly impossible. That’s the disparity we’re seeing now. It’s sad,” he said.
He added that such malpractice discourages hardworking students. “If I’m preparing for WAEC or NECO and I know some classmates already have access to the questions, do you think I’ll still study hard? No, I’ll be tempted to join them. That’s how good students are corrupted, and that’s exactly what we must stop.”
While acknowledging both weak enforcement and declining learning outcomes as factors in poor student performance, Alausa insisted that systemic cheating remains the core issue. He emphasized the government’s commitment to improving the quality of teaching and leveraging technology to enhance learning at all levels.
“JAMB is now almost 100 percent fraud-free, but WAEC and NECO still have major lapses,” he said. “Our youths are intelligent, capable, and energetic. It’s the environment that corrupts them, and we’re determined to fix that.”
In a major policy move, the Minister announced that both WAEC and NECO will transition to computer-based testing starting November 2025, a step he described as non-negotiable. “By November this year, WAEC and NECO will begin CBT exams. There’s no going back on that,” he declared.
