By Chiagoziem Abosi
Edited by Bababunmi Agbebi
Just days after proposing an increase in registration fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination, the Federal Government has suspended the plan, saying more consultations are needed before any final decision is made.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced that the proposal to review examination registration fees for the 2027 WASSCE and NECO Senior School Certificate Examination has been placed on hold to allow for broader engagement with education stakeholders across the country.
According to the Ministry, the letter communicating the proposed fee adjustment has been withdrawn pending a comprehensive review involving examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors, parents’ associations, organised labour and other stakeholders.
The decision follows widespread public concern over the proposed increase, which would have raised registration fees to ₦50,000 per candidate. Many parents, school owners and education advocates argued that the increase would further increase the financial burden on families already struggling with the rising cost of living.
In its statement, the Ministry explained that the proposed review was driven by the increasing cost of conducting national examinations, including logistics, security, printing examination materials, technology deployment and quality assurance. It noted that examination registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite rising operational costs.
However, the Ministry said the Minister of Education, Dr.Tunji Alausa, has directed that the proposal be suspended in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to transparent, inclusive and evidence-based policymaking.
The Ministry also assured Nigerians that no new examination fee will take effect until the consultation process is completed and a final decision is reached.
For many families in Ikeja, the suspension comes as a welcome relief. Parents with children preparing for WAEC and NECO examinations have faced increasing education expenses in recent years, including school fees, transportation, uniforms, textbooks and other examination-related costs. A sharp increase in registration fees would have added another significant financial responsibility.
Schools across Lagos are also expected to closely monitor the outcome of the consultations, as any eventual decision on examination fees could affect school payment plans and parents’ budgets.
The Federal Ministry of Education says the review process will focus on ensuring that any future decision is fair, sustainable and responsive to current economic realities while protecting access to quality education for Nigerian students.
Until that process is concluded, candidates preparing for future WAEC and NECO examinations have been advised to disregard reports suggesting that the new fee has already been approved.
As consultations continue, parents, schools and students will be watching closely to see whether the government can strike a balance between maintaining the quality of national examinations and keeping them affordable for millions of Nigerian families.
