FG N50,000 Exam Fee Faces Backlash over Access to Education

Federal Government has approved a new N50,000 examination fee for candidates sitting the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) from 2027.

The amount nearly doubling current rates triggered criticism from students, opposition figures and education advocates.

The increase was contained in a memo dated 18 June and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim.

It followed a March 31 meeting between the Minister of Education and the examination bodies.

The minister subsequently directed both WAEC and NECO to adopt the uniform rate.

WAEC candidates currently pay N27,000 while NECO candidates pay N30,000.

Under the new arrangement, both examinations will cost N50,000 per candidate, meaning families whose children sit both exams will pay a combined N100,000, excluding additional charges levied by individual schools.

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) was among the first to reject the increase, calling it insensitive to the economic realities facing Nigerian families and criticising the process for excluding student representatives.

"Anything for us, without us, is against us," said NANS president Akinteye Babatunde Afeez.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar described the hike as cruel and economically insensitive, warning it would worsen Nigeria's out-of-school crisis at a time when between 10.5 million and 15 million Nigerian children are already outside the classroom.

"A government cannot credibly claim to be expanding access to higher education while simultaneously erecting financial barriers that prevent millions of young Nigerians from ever reaching the university gates," Atiku said, calling on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the decision immediately.

Several state governments, including Lagos, currently cover WAEC fees for public school students, and the new rate is expected to place fresh pressure on already stretched state budgets.

Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education has not made a public justification for the scale of the increase beyond referencing the March meeting and WAEC's original request for an upward review.