Why FG Raised WAEC, NECO Examination Fees to N50,000

Nigerian families will pay more to register their children for senior secondary school examinations from 2027 after the Federal Government approved a uniform fee of N50,000 for the West African Examinations Council and the National Examinations Council.

The new rate will raise NECO’s Senior School Certificate Examination fee from N30,000 to N50,000 per candidate, representing an increase of 66.7 percent.

WAEC candidates will also pay N50,000, up from N27,000. This represents an increase of about 85 percent.

The increase could deepen the financial strain on parents already struggling with rising food, transportation, electricity and school costs. It may also increase the financial burden on state governments that sponsor candidates in public schools.

The Federal Ministry of Education approved the new fees in a memo dated June 18, 2026. Adeniji Ibrahim, director of senior secondary education, signed the memo on behalf of the education minister.

The ministry said the decision followed a March 31 meeting involving the minister and the country’s examination bodies. At the meeting, the government directed WAEC and NECO to adopt a uniform registration fee.

The new rate will take effect from the 2027 internal Senior School Certificate Examinations.

Families face higher cost of completing secondary education

The increase comes at a difficult time for households, particularly low- and middle-income families with more than one child in secondary school.

A parent registering two children for either WAEC or NECO will need N100,000 for examination fees alone. This does not include school fees, textbooks, uniforms, transportation, extra lessons, and other costs linked to preparing for the examinations.

For many families, the examination fee is not optional. Students need WAEC or NECO results to apply for admission into universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other post-secondary institutions.

The National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria described the increase as excessive and urged the government and examination bodies to reconsider the amount.

Deolu Ogunbanjo, chairman of the association’s board of trustees, said the increase should have been introduced gradually.

He argued that an increase of about 25 percent would have been more manageable for parents than a rise of between 67 percent and 85 percent.

Ogunbanjo warned that some students could complete Senior Secondary School 3 but fail to sit for their final examinations because their parents cannot afford the registration fee.

Such an outcome would leave the affected students without the qualifications required to continue their education.

State governments may face higher examination bills

The increase could also affect the finances of state governments that pay WAEC or NECO fees for students in public schools.

Some states sponsor all eligible candidates, while others cover only WAEC registration and leave parents to pay for NECO.

Lagos State, for example, pays WAEC fees for candidates in its public schools. Parents who want their children to sit for NECO usually bear the additional cost.

At N50,000 per student, states that sponsor thousands of candidates will need to increase their education budgets or reduce the number of beneficiaries.

The new fee may also worsen outstanding debts owed to WAEC and NECO by state governments that have struggled to meet previous payment obligations.

This creates a difficult choice for governors. They may absorb the higher costs, ask parents to contribute, or stop paying examination fees altogether.

Each option carries political and social consequences, particularly in states with high poverty levels and large public school populations.

NUT leaves decision to parents

The Nigeria Union of Teachers stopped short of opposing the increase.

Audu Titus Amba, national president of the union, said parents should decide whether to accept or reject the new fees.

He said the union primarily focuses on the welfare of teachers, although it also plans to address broader issues affecting the education sector.

The union’s position leaves parent groups and civil society organizations at the center of the pushback against the policy.

Atiku warns of widening education inequality

Atiku Abubakar, former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, also criticized the increase.

He said the policy would make education less accessible to children from poor and middle-income homes.

Atiku argued that higher examination fees could increase the number of out-of-school children by preventing some students from completing secondary education.

He also questioned the government’s emphasis on university student loans when some families cannot afford the examinations required for admission into tertiary institutions.

According to him, efforts to expand access to higher education will have limited impact if students face financial barriers at the secondary school level.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to reverse the fee increase and hold discussions with parents, teachers, examination bodies, state governments, and other education stakeholders.

What this means

The increase goes beyond the cost of sitting for an examination. It raises the financial threshold students must cross before they can move from secondary school to higher education.

For wealthier families, the additional cost may be inconvenient but manageable. For low-income households, it could determine whether a child writes the examination at all.

The policy could also widen the gap between students in states that pay examination fees and those in states where parents carry the full cost.

Students whose governments provide free registration will remain protected from the increase. Those in states without such support may face delayed registration, dependence on relatives, or complete exclusion from the examinations.

The government and examination bodies have not provided details on whether the new fee will include additional services, improved examination security, faster result processing, or other benefits for candidates.

Without clear explanations, parents may view the increase as another cost imposed without enough consideration for household income.

Government faces affordability test

WAEC and NECO operate in an environment of rising printing, logistics, security, technology, and personnel costs. These pressures may justify a review of examination fees.

However, the size of the increase raises questions about affordability and timing.

A phased adjustment could have reduced the immediate impact on families and allowed state governments to prepare for higher sponsorship costs.

The Federal Government could also consider targeted subsidies for students from low-income homes, rather than applying the same fee structure to every candidate.

As the 2027 implementation date approaches, parents and state governments will need clarity on payment timelines, sponsorship arrangements, and whether the approved N50,000 covers all registration-related charges.

Without financial support for vulnerable students, the higher fee could turn a compulsory academic examination into another barrier to education.