The Federal Government has suspended the proposed review of registration fees for
the 2027 West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination, pending wider consultations with stakeholders.
The Federal Ministry of Education said in a statement on Monday that the letter dated June 18, 2026, which conveyed the proposed fee adjustment, had been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review before any final decision is taken.
In the statement, signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, the ministry said the suspension followed concerns and feedback from members of the public.
“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Ministry of Education announced that the letter conveying the proposed fee adjustment, dated 18 June 2026, has been withdrawn to allow for a comprehensive review and broader consultations with all relevant stakeholders before a final decision is taken,” the statement said.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 review was driven by rising costs associated with conducting national examinations.
It pointed out that registration fees have remained largely unchanged for several years despite increasing operational expenses.
It cited higher costs of logistics, security, printing of examination materials, technology deployment, quality assurance and other services required to maintain the credibility of public examinations.
The statement said the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, directed that the proposal be put on hold in line with the federal government’s commitment to inclusive and evidence-based 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,” the ministry said in the statement.
According to the Ministry of Education, the decision to suspend the review of the registration fees reflects its commitment to ensuring that policies affecting students and their families are carefully considered and responsive to public interest.
It added that consultations would be held with examination bodies, state ministries of education, school proprietors and administrators, parents’ associations, organised labour, education stakeholders and other critical partners before any decision is reached.
The ministry said the proposed review of examination registration fees would not take effect as earlier communicated until the consultation process is concluded.
Insisting that students’ welfare, equitable access to quality education and responsible policymaking remain central to the federal government’s education agenda, the Federal Ministry of Education pledged to keep the public informed throughout the consultation process.
The federal government earlier said it had approved N50,000 as the new examination fee for WAEC and NECO for secondary school candidates from 2027.
This represented an 82% increase from N27, 500.00, which the examination bodies charged for previous registrations.
The Ministry of Education had in a press release on June 18, 2026, issued by its Director of Senior Secondary Education, Adeniji Ibrahim, said it approved the review of the fees following a request by WAEC for an increase of the fee for the Senior School Certificate Examination for candidates from 2027.
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