Previous Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have criticised the Federal Government’s decision to introduce an uniform N50,000 registration charge for the West African Senior Citizen School Certificate Evaluation (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Elder School Certificate Evaluation beginning in 2027.
Both celebrations argued that the planned boost would position extra financial pressure on families and make secondary school certification harder for lots of students, particularly those from low-income families.
The proposed charge represents a boost of about 82 per cent from the present N27,500 registration cost.
The approval was consisted of in a June 18, 2026, directive signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim.
According to the ministry, the decision followed conversations held on March 31, 2026, between the Minister of Education and examination bodies, during which the need to examine evaluation charges was thought about.
The ministry discussed that the minister approved a harmonised evaluation fee of N50,000 for prospects sitting both WAEC and NECO Elder School Certificate Examinations from the 2027 assessment cycle.
The instruction instructed the evaluation bodies to communicate the brand-new fee to all appropriate stakeholders.
The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, likewise validated that the government had authorized the revised assessment charges.
Reacting to the advancement, Atiku described the choice as insensitive to the economic truths facing Nigerians.
In a declaration provided by his Senior Unique Assistant on Public Interaction, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President argued that increasing examination costs, along with the current hike in Federal Unity Colleges’ charges, would even more strain households currently battling inflation, high transport expenses, increasing electrical energy tariffs and prevalent joblessness.
According to him, education needs to stay available to every Nigerian kid rather than becoming significantly costly.
He kept that education stays among the most efficient tools for lowering hardship and warned that higher expenses would deepen inequality by restricting opportunities for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Atiku also revealed concern that Nigeria currently has one of the world’s biggest populations of out-of-school kids, keeping in mind that government policies must focus on expanding access to education instead of creating additional barriers.
He argued that lots of parents were currently having a hard time to meet standard home needs and school expenditures, including that higher assessment charges might prevent academically certified trainees from advancing to tertiary education.
The former Vice President further stated that increasing the cost of qualifying examinations would lower access to universities, specifically at a time when public tertiary organizations are currently not able to admit hundreds of thousands of qualified candidates due to minimal capacity.
He questioned the government’s emphasis on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, saying trainee loans would offer little benefit to children not able to finish secondary education or manage the assessments needed for university admission.
Atiku called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse both the boost in Unity School fees and the proposed assessment charge, while prompting the federal government to assemble a stakeholders’ conference to explore sustainable methods of funding public education.
He likewise promoted higher financial investment in public schools, improved facilities, recruitment of more teachers and expanded admission opportunities in tertiary organizations.
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NANS likewise rejected the proposed charge, describing it as harsh and insensitive to the predicament of Nigerian trainees and their households.
In a declaration, the association’s President, Babatunde Akinteye, advised the Federal government to withdraw the proposition, arguing that it would worsen the financial burden currently dealt with by many families.
According to him, if candidates pick to register for both WAEC and NECO under the new plan, they would spend N100,000 on evaluation registration alone, leaving out added fees imposed by schools.
He stated such costs would put secondary school certification beyond the reach of numerous kids from bad families.
Akinteye likewise faulted the decision-making procedure, declaring that the Federal Ministry of Education stopped working to engage trainee representatives before authorizing a policy that straight affects millions of candidates nationwide.
He maintained that education authorities ought to concentrate on making examinations more affordable instead of introducing additional monetary obligations throughout a period of financial challenge.
The trainee body prompted the ministry to reverse the proposed fee boost and guarantee that student agents are consulted before future policies affecting learners are executed.
The proposed adjustment has actually continued to attract criticism from parents, education stakeholders and student groups, a lot of whom fear that greater evaluation expenses could further limit access to secondary education and intensify academic inequality across the nation.