The Federal Government’s approval of a N50,000 registration fee for National Examinations Council (NECO) and West African Examinations Council (WAEC) from 2027 has attracted mixed reactions from education stakeholders.

In separate interviews on Sunday in Abuja, some of the stakeholders described the increase as excessive and unaffordable, warning it could worsen financial pressure on families and students.

Others urged the government to review the decision, introduce subsidies for vulnerable candidates, and ensure any fee adjustment reflects prevailing economic realities and wider stakeholder consultations.

However, some stakeholders supported the review, arguing that improved funding could strengthen certificate verification, digital infrastructure and service delivery if implemented with transparency and affordability safeguards.

The approval was conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Education in a memo dated June 18, 2026, signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education, Adeniji Ibrahim.

The memo was signed on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, following a directive to harmonise WAEC and NECO Senior School Certificate Examination registration fees.

Under the approval, NECO’s SSCE internal fee will rise from N30,000 to N50,000, while WAEC’s will increase from N27,000 to N50,000 from 2027.

An educationist, Beatrice Oke, described the increase as excessive despite acknowledging rising operational and logistics costs.

“The percentage increase is too high, although we expected a review after some time due to rising logistics costs.

“However, many average Nigerians may not afford the new fees, and this could force some students out of school,” she said.

Oke urged the government to review the increase or introduce measures to cushion its impact on low-income households.

She said affordable examination fees were vital to sustaining access to education and preventing more children from dropping out of school.

She also urged governments at all levels to expand subsidies and intervention programmes for vulnerable students to guarantee equitable access to education.

A private school owner, Funmilayo Soyoye, also described the increase as excessive.

She said many graduates seeking employment or admission for further studies might struggle to pay the new fee.

“Certificate verification is a mandatory requirement for many academic and employment processes and should remain affordable.

“The government should consider the economic realities facing Nigerians before approving such a sharp increase.

“This policy may discourage many young people from pursuing opportunities that require certificate verification,” she said.

Another school owner, who preferred anonymity, urged the government to justify the increase.

The proprietor said any fee review should be transparent and reflect improvements in service delivery.

According to the school owner, certificate verification should become faster, more efficient and more accessible.

A parent, Alhaji Abdulfatai Ibrahim, appealed to the government to rescind the decision in the interest of students and job seekers.

He said the increase would worsen hardship for families already grappling with rising education costs.

Ibrahim urged the authorities to engage stakeholders and adopt a more moderate pricing structure.

However, an education consultant, Olamide Ogunkoya, said the review might be justified if it strengthened certificate verification and digital infrastructure.

She said investment in secure verification systems would curb certificate fraud and enhance the credibility of Nigerian examination bodies.

Ogunkoya urged the government to balance cost recovery with citizens’ access to essential public services.

She also called for wider consultations before implementing major education policies, stressing that affordability and accessibility should remain central to reforms.

The memo, directed to the Registrar, NECO, conveying the increase, read:

“Re: Upward review of registration fees for examinations conducted by NECO.

“The West African Examinations Council has requested an upward review of the examination fees for the Senior School Certificate Examination for school candidates, with effect from 2027.

“You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the Honourable Minister of Education on March 31, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fee was discussed, the Honourable Minister of Education directed that WAEC and NECOshould adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of the SSCE.

“Consequently, I am directed to convey the Honourable Minister of Education’s approval of the sum of Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000) only, as the new examination fee for candidates with effect from NECO SSCE internal 2027.

“You are to bring the content of this letter to all stakeholders.

“Please accept the Honourable Minister’s warm regards.”

President Bola Tinubu has expressed profound joy at the successful rescue of the children and teachers from Oriire community in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, by the security forces. 

  Tinubu praised the heroic efforts of the security agencies, especially the military, the Department  for State Service(DSS) and the Police, for working round the clock in the last 56 days to secure the release of the abducted children and their teachers without any collateral damage and for arresting eight of the abductors and neutralising others.

Spokesman to the President, Bayo Onanuga in a statement said  Tinubu regretted the anguish that the children and their teachers, as well as members of their families and the entire nation, have experienced since the sad occurrence.

For cooperating with the Federal Government in all rescue efforts, President Tinubu commended the Oyo State Government and charged it to ensure adequate security around schools across the state. 

“I am profoundly happy that our security forces successfully rescued the abducted pupils and teachers from Orire, Ogbomoso in Oyo State today after a military, police and intelligence-driven operation that neutralised some of the terrorists that perpetrated the evil act and the arrest of eight of them. 

“This successful military operation has ended the siege and standoff of over 50 days and has brought relief to the entire nation and the affected families in particular. On behalf of the country, I express my gratitude to the officers and men of our armed forces, the intelligence agencies and the police for the safe rescue of the children and their teachers. 

“My government will get justice for these children and their teachers and for the family of Mr Oyedokun, who the terrorists gruesomely murdered. 

“I must commend the government of Oyo State for working cooperatively with us in bringing this unfortunate incident to a successful end,” the President said. 

President Tinubu has also directed that the emergency agencies work with the Oyo State Government to provide all necessary medical and relief support to the children and the teachers. 

The Federal Ministry of Education said it will officially unveil the Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS) on July 1 to strengthen education planning, governance and service delivery through reliable data.

National Project Coordinator, Special Programmes Operations and Implementation Unit (SPOIU), Office of the Minister of Education, Adebayo Onigbanjo made this known on Monday at a news conference in Abuja ahead of the unveiling.

Onigbanjo said the initiative was a key component of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), being implemented under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr.

He said the ministry had prioritised education data as a strategic national asset to improve governance, accountability and evidence-based decision-making.

“For many years, education planning and administration relied on fragmented systems, inconsistent reporting processes and limited access to reliable and timely data.

“These challenges constrained effective planning, weakened accountability and limited the sector’s ability to respond to emerging realities,” he said.

He explained that the ministry developed the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) to coordinate, standardise and strengthen education data management across all levels of education.

According to him, DNEMIS is a flagship component of NEDI, designed to provide timely, reliable and accessible information to support planning, policymaking, budgeting, monitoring and service delivery.

He added that the platform would ensure every learner, school, teacher and education investment was captured in a system that supports evidence-based decision-making.

“The progress recorded through NEDI and the implementation of DNEMIS reflects the ministry’s broader commitment to ensuring that reforms are not only announced but effectively coordinated, implemented and measured.

“Data is no longer a back-office function. It is becoming the engine of education reform in Nigeria,” Onigbanjo said.

Also speaking, the Special Assistant to the Minister on Digital Communications and E-Learning, Ms Mojoyin Adebajo, said DNEMIS marked a major milestone in Nigeria’s digital education transformation.

Adebajo said the platform would digitise the Annual School Census process and provide government with timely information to support planning, budgeting, policymaking and improved service delivery.

She explained that the portal would, for the first time, make selected official education data publicly accessible through an interactive platform.

According to her, the portal would enable government institutions, researchers, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector, journalists and members of the public to access and engage with education information.

“This represents an important step towards expanding access to information and encouraging broader participation in conversations that shape the future of education in Nigeria,” she said.

She added that the ministry remained committed to leveraging technology and innovation to strengthen education governance and improve learning outcomes across the country.

The NEDI Coordinator, Abubakar Isah, said the ministry had taken adequate measures to ensure compliance with Nigeria’s data protection laws and safeguard education data.

Also, Saka Ibraheem, Education Specialist, Planning, Monitoring, Data and Research at UNICEF, said the goal was to integrate all education management platforms into a single system.

“Before next year, we hope to have the Education Management Information System (EMIS), Teacher Management Information System (TMIS) and individual learner records in one system.

“One system for education and one system for Nigeria,” he said.

He added that the integrated system would have a unique identifier to track school enrolment and out-of-school children across the country.

According to him, the system would help reduce school dropouts by enabling seamless tracking of learners as they move through the education system.