By Seun Ibiyemi
The Federal Government has suspended the proposed review of registration fees for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination (NECO), pending broader consultations with stakeholders.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced the suspension in a statement issued on Monday, noting that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment dated June 18, 2026, had been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review before any final decision is reached.
The statement, signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, said the decision followed concerns and feedback from members of the public over the planned increase.
“The Federal Ministry of Education announced that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated 18 June 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken,” the statement read.
According to the ministry, the proposed review was necessitated by the rising costs associated with conducting national examinations, noting that registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite increasing operational expenses.
The ministry cited escalating costs of logistics, security, printing of examination materials, deployment of technology, quality assurance and other services required to maintain the credibility and integrity of public examinations.
It added that the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, had directed that the proposal be placed on hold in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive, transparent and evidence-based policymaking.
“The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, has directed that the proposal be placed on hold in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive, transparent and evidence-based policymaking,” the ministry stated.
The ministry said the suspension reflects the government’s resolve to ensure that policies affecting students and their families are carefully considered and aligned with public interest.
It disclosed that consultations would be held with examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organised labour, education stakeholders and other critical partners before a final decision is taken.
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Consequently, the ministry said the proposed review of examination registration fees would not take effect as earlier announced until the consultation process is concluded.
The Federal Ministry of Education reiterated that students’ welfare, equitable access to quality education and responsible policymaking remain central to the government’s education agenda and pledged to keep the public informed throughout the consultation process.
The government had earlier approved N50,000 as the new registration fee for candidates sitting the WAEC and NECO Senior School Certificate Examinations from 2027, up from the current fee of N27,500.
The proposed adjustment represented an increase of N22,500, translating to an 82 per cent hike in examination registration costs.
The initial approval, contained in a statement dated June 18 and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Adeniji Ibrahim, followed a request by WAEC for an upward review of examination fees beginning from 2027.
