Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has firmly rejected the Federal Ministry of Education's approval of an upward review of registration fees for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), describing the decision as insensitive to the prevailing economic realities facing Nigerians and a direct assault on access to education for children from low-income families. In a press release issued on Saturday, 11 July 2026, and signed by its National President, Comrade Akinteye Babatunde Afeez, the students' body condemned both the ministry's approval and the proposal by the examination bodies to increase the fees.
The Federal Government had earlier approved a new uniform registration fee of N50,000 for candidates sitting the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by both WAEC and NECO, effective from the 2027 examination cycle. The approval, conveyed in a June 18 statement signed by Adeniji Ibrahim, Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, represented an 82 per cent increase from the current N27,500 paid by candidates. The ministry stated that the decision followed a request by WAEC for a review of examination charges and resolutions reached during a meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies on March 31, 2026.
NANS, however, argued that the reported increase raises the registration fee for each examination to N50,000, bringing the combined cost for candidates intending to sit both WAEC and NECO examinations to N100,000, excluding additional charges imposed by schools. The association warned that this would place further financial strain on students and their families when many Nigerians are already grappling with the effects of ongoing economic reforms. The students' body described the policy as "cruelty in its purest form" and questioned whether the government was effectively telling the children of the poor that they should no longer have access to education.
The association also faulted the decision-making process, alleging that the approval was granted without adequate consultation with stakeholders, particularly the National Association of Nigerian Students, which it described as the apex body representing Nigerian students. "A decision of this magnitude, affecting millions of students across the country, cannot be made unilaterally by the Ministry of Education. Anything for us, without us, is against us," the statement said. NANS cautioned that the severe public backlash from this insensitive timing would unfairly fall back on the presidency rather than the ministry officials who drafted it.
The students' body called on the Federal Ministry of Education to immediately reverse the reported fee increase and urged the ministry to engage student representatives in future policy decisions affecting Nigerian students. NANS also warned that if the Federal Ministry of Education and the leadership of WAEC and NECO cannot make the examinations more affordable and accessible, they should refrain from introducing policies that would further burden students and parents. The association maintained that it would continue to advocate for the welfare and interests of students across the country. The new fee takes effect from the 2027 NECO SSCE (Internal) and will apply to both WAEC and NECO candidates. As the 2027 examination cycle approaches, stakeholders are calling on the government to reconsider the hike or provide subsidies to cushion the impact on vulnerable families.
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