The Federal Government has suspended a proposed increase in registration fees for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination (NECO SSCE),
The Federal Ministry of Education announced on Monday that it had withdrawn the proposed fee adjustment, pending broader consultations with stakeholders.
The ministry had earlier directed examination bodies to review the SSCE cost to a uniform fee of N50,000 per candidate, up from N27,500, an increase of about 82 per cent, set to take effect from 2027.
The proposed review was driven by what the ministry described as the rising cost of conducting credible national examinations. It said fees had remained largely unchanged for years even as expenses tied to logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment and quality assurance continued to climb.
In a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, the government confirmed that the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, had directed that implementation of the fee review be halted “in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive, transparent and evidence-based policymaking.”
It further said that the decision followed concerns and constructive feedback from members of the public, and that the fee adjustment would not take effect as earlier communicated, pending the conclusion of a fresh consultation process.
Administrator and Writer
