New assessment rules: FG mandates digital CA portals for WAEC, NECO

The federal government has rolled out uniform continuous assessment (CA) guidelines that compel the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), to build secure, interoperable portals linked to the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI).

The policy, which covers public and government-approved private secondary schools nationwide, mandates the use of National Learner Identity Numbers (NLIN) tied to the National Identification Number (NIN) for every student, alongside strict termly submission deadlines and penalties for schools that fail to comply.

Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, speaking to stakeholders that included state commissioners for education, private school owners, administrators and other educators, said the reform underscores the government’s commitment to repositioning the education sector for global competitiveness.

The new guidelines show that every licensed school and national examination body is required to comply or risk sanctions, including suspension for examination malpractice, non-compliance with registration directives, misrepresentation of learners, or fraudulent CA submissions.

Experts believe that the reform will effectively end the practice of schools uploading CA data at their own convenience, as portals will now open and close on fixed, nationwide deadlines.

Starting with the 2026/2027 academic session, schools will be required to upload first-term CA records in January, second-term records in April, and third-term records in August.

Beyond tightening data integrity, the government said the move is designed to stop schools from retroactively altering or forging student scores ahead of final examinations, a practice that has fuelled examination malpractice in the sector.

The guidelines also introduce a formal process for student transfers between schools. Under the framework, schools will initiate transfer requests through the portal, which receiving institutions must either accept or reject. Once approved, the system automatically updates the student’s record on the examination portal, carrying over all historical CA data.

This provision effectively establishes that CA data belongs to the learner, not the school, meaning no institution can unilaterally delete or alter a student’s past assessment records.

For schools placed under suspension, the consequences are immediate: their CA portals will be blocked, and their students will be automatically flagged as “orphaned” in the system. Examination bodies are required to notify the host state’s Ministry of Education within two days of any suspension.

Affected students will subsequently be redistributed to nearby accredited schools or temporary examination centres approved by the relevant examination body, to ensure continuity of their CA records.

The reform follows longstanding difficulties faced by both WAEC and NECO in incorporating students’ CA scores from SS1 to SS3 into the final grading of school-based components of their examinations, a gap the new portal infrastructure is intended to close.

Compliance monitoring will fall under the Federal Ministry of Education’s Basic and Senior Secondary Departments, which will provide oversight and intervene where necessary.

The ministry noted that the guidelines will be subject to review after one year of implementation, should the need arise.