The Federal Government has suspended the proposed increase in registration fee for the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination until more extensive stakeholder discussions take place.
The Federal Ministry of Education announced on Monday that the June 18, 2026, letter outlining the planned fee adjustment has been withdrawn to allow for a thorough examination prior to a final decision.
Boriowo Folasade, Director of Press and Public Relation confirmed this in a statement. According to the ministry, the the suspension is a response to public concerns and comments.
“The Federal Ministry of Education announced that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated 18 June 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken,” the statement said.
According to the ministry, the proposed fee revision was driven by the rising costs of administering national examinations, noting that registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite escalating operational expenses.
The announcement cited increased expenditures for logistics, security, printing exam materials, technological deployment, and quality assurance, all of which are essential to maintaining the integrity of public testing.
Furthermore, statement added that the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, directed the postponement of the plan in alignment with the Federal Government’s commitment to evidence-based and inclusive policymaking.
“The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, CON, has directed that the proposal be placed on hold in line with the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive, transparent and evidence-based policymaking,” it said.
Backstory…
The suspension comes less than twenty four hours after the hike was announced.
The Federal Government previously approved an increase in registration fee for the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE), administered by both the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), raising the cost to ₦50,000 per candidate starting in 2027.
The Federal Ministry of Education communicated this approval, which will push the NECO SSCE registration fee up from ₦30,000 to ₦50,000. Under the same directive, the WAEC registration fee will rise from ₦27,000 to match that amount.
The previous memo indicates that the fee adjustment followed a policy decision reached during a March 31, 2026, meeting between the Minister of Education and the examination boards. During that session, the ministry instructed both WAEC and NECO to introduce a uniform registration fee for their internal SSCE exams.
