The House of Representatives has directed the Federal Ministry of Education and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to postpone the introduction of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination. This decision came after a motion was raised during Thursday’s plenary session by Kelechi Wogu, who highlighted concerns about the potential for widespread failure among students.

Wogu cautioned that rushing into the CBT format could lead to significant challenges, particularly for schools in rural areas where many candidates lack access to necessary resources like functional computer labs, stable electricity, and trained ICT teachers. He pointed to past technical issues with WAEC’s systems as evidence of the unpreparedness for such a transition.

As a response, the House has instructed the Ministry of Education to collaborate with state governments to include funding in future budgets for recruiting computer teachers, establishing ICT facilities, and ensuring reliable power supplies.

The motion was passed unanimously, and committees were tasked with reporting back on stakeholder engagements within four weeks. The delay means that the CBT system will not be implemented before the academic year of 2030, addressing the significant infrastructure challenges faced by many schools.