The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, has commended the smooth conduct of the National Examinations Council (NECO) Computer-Based Test (CBT) Senior School Certificate Examination, describing it as a major milestone in the Federal Government’s efforts to eliminate examination malpractice and strengthen the credibility of public examinations.

The minister gave the commendation on Wednesday while monitoring the ongoing examination at Redeemers Teap School and Anglican Girls’ Grammar School in Abuja.

Speaking after interacting with candidates and officials at both centres, Ahmad said feedback from students showed that the CBT format was widely accepted and preferred over the conventional paper-based examination.

She disclosed that candidates confirmed the examinations commenced on schedule without technical glitches and that the randomisation of questions made malpractice virtually impossible.

“I spoke with many of the students, and most of them said they prefer the CBT examination. They also confirmed that they had not seen the questions before the examination and that every candidate answered a different set of questions. The CBT makes communication between candidates impossible and is one of the best ways of tackling examination malpractice,” she said.

The minister described the successful deployment of CBT as a significant achievement for Nigeria’s education sector, assuring that the Federal Government would only implement a full transition after ensuring adequate infrastructure across the country.

“We will not begin the full transition until everything is in place because we do not want to put any student at a disadvantage. We are working with the National Assembly, state governors, private partners and other stakeholders to provide the facilities required for a seamless nationwide transition,” she stated.

According to Ahmad, the adoption of CBT will improve the quality of education by promoting merit, transparency and integrity in the examination process.

Also speaking, the Registrar of NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi, said the council had recorded no technical challenges since the commencement of the examination.

He explained that all CBT centres functioned smoothly, with examinations starting as scheduled without network failures or system disruptions.

Wushishi disclosed that 1,378,048 candidates registered for the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination, noting that female candidates slightly outnumbered their male counterparts, a development he attributed to sustained government efforts in promoting girl-child education.

He further revealed that NECO currently operates about 10 CBT centres in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and expressed optimism that the examination results would be released by the first week of September to support the 2026 admission process.

The registrar added that the CBT system, through its randomisation of examination questions, had significantly reduced opportunities for examination malpractice while enhancing the integrity of the examination process.

Some of the candidates also expressed satisfaction with the new examination format.

A candidate from Redeemers Teap School, Ambassador Alabi, described the examination as seamless and more convenient than the traditional paper-based system.

Similarly, Isaac Abioro of Anglican Girls’ Grammar School said the CBT examination was efficient and user-friendly, adding that there had been no technical glitches since the exercise began.

The Principal of Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Mrs. Nkiruka Nwafor, said the school’s early adoption of CBT for internal examinations had prepared students for the transition.

She noted that exposing students to computer-based assessments from junior secondary school was equipping them with the digital skills required in an increasingly technology-driven world.

“We are excited that our proprietor embraced the initiative. We introduced CBT for some internal examinations so that students become familiar with the system from an early stage. It is a welcome development, and we are happy it is happening,” she said.