The Federal Government has withdrawn its proposal to charge senior secondary students a N50,000 fee for sitting the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) tests, bowing to intense public pressure.
The suspension was confirmed on Sunday, days after the proposal triggered a national debate over the affordability of secondary education and the government’s shifting posture on subsidy in the education sector.
Education sector unions, civil society groups, and parents had roundly condemned the plan, describing it as a de facto tax on low-income households that would reverse years of progress on school enrolment. Under existing arrangements, many state governments subsidise or fully cover examination costs for public school students.
A N50,000 fee would have represented a steep increase from the current rates, which typically range between N10,000 and N18,000 depending on the examination body and the number of subjects registered. For context, Nigeria’s national minimum wage stands at N70,000 per month, meaning a single exam registration would have consumed more than two-thirds of a month’s earnings for minimum-wage earners.
The proposal was seen by analysts as part of a broader push to reduce government expenditure and redirect scarce fiscal resources. However, critics argued that education funding should be treated as a national investment rather than a cost to be trimmed.
“Any attempt to price public examinations beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians undermines the principle of equal opportunity,” a senior official at the Federal Ministry of Education said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Nigeria has approximately 2.2 million candidates sitting WAEC each year and a comparable number for NECO. A N50,000 fee would have generated roughly N220 billion annually if applied uniformly—an amount policymakers reportedly viewed as a way to ease pressure on the national budget.
The suspension signals that the government will revisit the funding model for national examinations through broader stakeholder consultations. The House of Representatives Committee on Education had also indicated it would summon ministry officials to explain the rationale behind the proposal.
For now, examination fees remain unchanged as the government explores alternative financing mechanisms that do not place the full burden on parents and guardians.
