The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has said that the planned transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for secondary school examinations will not, on its own, put an end to examination malpractices in the country.
This was made known by the NUT National President, Audu Amba, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.
His remarks follow the recent directive by the Federal Government instructing the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) to fully adopt CBT for all examinations by 2026.
According to the directive, both multiple-choice and essay-type questions will be conducted via computer platforms beginning with the 2026 May/June examination cycle. WAEC, in particular, is expected to commence CBT for objective questions as early as November 2025.
While the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Sununu, stated that the move would improve efficiency and curb malpractice, Amba argued that the root causes of cheating in exams are deeper and must be tackled from the foundation.
“Our major problem is the undue importance we place on certificates and grades,” he said.
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“Society focuses so much on paper qualifications that students are driven, often with the encouragement of their parents, to acquire them at all costs, regardless of whether they can defend the knowledge those certificates are meant to represent.”
Amba stressed that until the nation shifts focus from mere certification to actual learning and skills, malpractices will persist regardless of the format in which exams are conducted.
He also expressed concern about the feasibility of the CBT transition, especially in rural communities
