Previous Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the National Association of Nigerian Trainees (NANS) have criticised the Federal government’s decision to introduce a consistent N50,000 registration charge for the West African Senior School Certificate Evaluation (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Elder School Certificate Assessment beginning in 2027.
Both celebrations argued that the scheduled boost would place extra financial pressure on households and make secondary school certification harder for lots of trainees, particularly those from low-income families.
The proposed cost represents an increase of about 82 per cent from the current N27,500 registration expense.
The approval was consisted of in a June 18, 2026, regulation signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim.
According to the ministry, the decision followed discussions held on March 31, 2026, between the Minister of Education and assessment bodies, throughout which the need to examine evaluation charges was considered.
The ministry explained that the minister authorized a harmonised assessment cost of N50,000 for candidates sitting both WAEC and NECO Elder School Certificate Assessments from the 2027 examination cycle.
The directive advised the examination bodies to communicate the new cost to all pertinent stakeholders.
The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, likewise validated that the government had actually approved the modified assessment charges.
Responding to the development, Atiku described the choice as insensitive to the financial realities dealing with Nigerians.
In a declaration released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the previous Vice President argued that increasing examination charges, alongside the current walking in Federal Unity Colleges’ charges, would further strain homes already battling inflation, high transport costs, rising electricity tariffs and widespread unemployment.
According to him, education should stay available to every Nigerian kid instead of ending up being increasingly costly.
He maintained that education stays among the most reliable tools for decreasing hardship and warned that higher expenses would deepen inequality by restricting opportunities for kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Atiku also expressed issue that Nigeria already has among the world’s largest populations of out-of-school kids, keeping in mind that federal government policies need to concentrate on expanding access to education instead of producing additional barriers.
He argued that numerous moms and dads were currently having a hard time to fulfill standard family requirements and school expenditures, including that higher assessment charges might prevent academically certified trainees from advancing to tertiary education.
The former Vice President even more specified that increasing the cost of certifying evaluations would lower access to universities, particularly at a time when public tertiary organizations are already unable to confess hundreds of countless eligible applicants due to restricted capacity.
He questioned the government’s focus on the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, stating student loans would offer little advantage to kids not able to finish secondary education or manage the evaluations needed for university admission.
Atiku contacted President Bola Tinubu to reverse both the increase in Unity School charges and the proposed assessment cost, while prompting the federal government to assemble a stakeholders’ conference to explore sustainable methods of funding public education.
He also promoted greater financial investment in public schools, improved infrastructure, recruitment of more teachers and expanded admission opportunities in tertiary institutions.
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NANS also turned down the proposed fee, explaining it as extreme and insensitive to the plight of Nigerian trainees and their households.
In a statement, the association’s President, Babatunde Akinteye, urged the Federal government to withdraw the proposal, arguing that it would get worse the financial concern already dealt with by many homes.
According to him, if candidates select to sign up for both WAEC and NECO under the new plan, they would invest N100,000 on examination registration alone, omitting additional charges enforced by schools.
He stated such expenses would put secondary school certification beyond the reach of many kids from bad families.
Akinteye also faulted the decision-making procedure, alleging that the Federal Ministry of Education failed to engage trainee agents before approving a policy that directly affects millions of prospects across the country.
He kept that education authorities need to focus on making assessments more affordable instead of presenting extra financial responsibilities throughout a duration of economic hardship.
The trainee body prompted the ministry to reverse the proposed fee boost and ensure that trainee representatives are sought advice from before future policies impacting learners are executed.
The proposed change has actually continued to draw in criticism from parents, education stakeholders and trainee groups, a number of whom fear that higher evaluation expenses could further limit access to secondary education and aggravate educational inequality throughout the country.