By Babs Oyetoro
The Federal Government’s decision to introduce a uniform ₦50,000 registration fee for candidates sitting the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations from 2027 has triggered widespread opposition from student organisations, parents, school proprietors and education stakeholders, who warn that the policy could further deepen Nigeria’s already troubling out-of-school population.
The new fee regime, approved by the Federal Ministry of Education following consultations with examination bodies and relevant stakeholders, is expected to harmonise the costs of both examinations under a single structure, beginning with the 2027 examination cycle.
Government officials have defended the move, arguing that the rising costs of logistics, technology deployment, security arrangements, personnel, and nationwide coordination required to conduct examinations for millions of candidates made a review inevitable.
According to education authorities, harmonising the fees would also simplify administration and provide a more predictable and sustainable funding framework for both examination bodies amid prevailing economic realities.
However, the explanation has done little to calm growing concerns among education stakeholders who insist that the timing could hardly be worse for millions of struggling Nigerian households.
*Student groups, opposition kick against new policy
Leading the opposition is the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), which described the proposed fee as a major setback for educational accessibility and social mobility.
National Public Relations Officer of NANS, Comrade Samson Adeyemi, said the proposed charge amounts to an additional barrier for families already battling inflation, rising food prices, transportation costs and increasing school expenses.
According to him, many households currently struggle to pay existing examination charges, with some parents forced to save over several months before they can register their children for external examinations.
He noted that many candidates currently sit for only one examination because their parents cannot afford both WAEC and NECO registrations, despite the advantages of having two results available for admission to tertiary institutions.
“Moving examination fees to ₦50,000 means thousands of students may simply abandon plans to write the examinations altogether,” Adeyemi warned.
The student leader argued that the policy risks widening educational inequality and creating a system where access to opportunities increasingly depends on income rather than merit.
“The danger is that education gradually becomes a privilege for the wealthy instead of a right available to every qualified Nigerian child. That is not the direction any serious nation should be heading,” he said.
Adeyemi further warned that the country could witness a rise in school dropouts, child labour and youth unemployment if additional financial barriers continue to be erected around education.
“A child denied education today becomes part of a bigger national problem tomorrow. Education should be expanded, not rationed,” he added.
Parents have expressed similar fears.
National President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, said families are already grappling with multiple educational expenses ranging from transportation and textbooks to uniforms, school levies and feeding costs.
He warned that parents with multiple children preparing for external examinations could be forced into painful decisions over which child proceeds and which one waits.
“For families with two or three children preparing for examinations, this becomes a major financial burden. The concern is that some children may become casualties of economic realities beyond their control,” Danjuma said.
He urged the government to consider the realities facing ordinary Nigerians before implementing policies that could affect educational access.
The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) also expressed concern that the increase could adversely affect examination enrolment, particularly among schools in low-income communities where parents already struggle to pay fees.
National President of the association, Chief Yomi Otubela, said school owners may increasingly find themselves under pressure from parents seeking payment extensions, subsidies and alternative arrangements.
“Any policy that significantly raises the cost of examinations ultimately affects access to education and must be approached with caution,” he said.
Otubela warned that schools could witness lower participation rates in external examinations if the policy proceeds without adequate safeguards for vulnerable families.
Education analysts insist that the controversy extends beyond examination fees and raises broader concerns about affordability across Nigeria’s education sector.
Nigeria currently has one of the largest populations of out-of-school children globally, with estimates from international agencies ranging from 10 million to 15 million, depending on age categories and methodologies used.
Many experts fear that increasing the cost of secondary school certification examinations could worsen those figures and further shrink opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Although political opposition to the policy has also emerged, student groups insist the issue should rise above partisan considerations.
A former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, criticised the decision, arguing that governments seeking long-term development should reduce rather than increase the cost of education.
“Countries expand educational opportunities during difficult economic periods; they do not make education more expensive,” Atiku said.
Government officials, however, maintain that the review reflects prevailing realities confronting examination bodies and should be viewed alongside broader interventions in the education sector.
They point to reforms such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), investments in educational infrastructure and ongoing efforts to improve standards and expand opportunities for young Nigerians.
