Following serious concerns raised by parents and other stakeholders in the Nigerian education sector over the planned kike of the examination fee for 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) candidates by the Federal Government, the government has suspended the proposed plan.
The Federal Government had earlier announced plans to increase the examinations’ registration fee for secondary school candidates from N27,500 to N50,000, representing about 82% hike effective from 2027 after extensive consultations with key stakeholders.
A statement issued on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, indicated that the ministry had withdrawn its earlier letter dated June 18, 2026, which conveyed the proposed fee adjustment.
According to her, the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated 18 June 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken.
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The ministry stated that the proposed upward review of the fee was due to rising costs of logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, quality assurance and other services required to maintain the credibility of public examinations, recalling that registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite increasing operational expenses.
The Director stated that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, had directed that the proposal be put on hold in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive and evidence-based policymaking.
While justifying the need for increasing the fee, Boriade stated that the decision reflected the ministry’s commitment to ensuring that policies affecting students and their families are carefully considered and responsive to public interest.
To finalize the process, the ministry stated 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 any decision is reached.
It restated that students’ welfare, equitable access to quality education and responsible policymaking remained crucial to the government’s education agenda and promised to keep the public informed throughout the consultation process.
