By Solomon Bello
Every year, students across Nigeria write tests, complete assignments, undertake projects and sit for termly examinations throughout junior and senior secondary school.
Yet, by May or June of their final year, SS3 students walk into WAEC and NECO examination halls, where years of learning are ultimately subjected to a high-stakes testing window.
A sudden illness, power outage, family emergency or bout of examination anxiety can affect a student’s performance on any given day.
While examinations remain important for maintaining standards and accountability, should a few weeks of testing carry such weight that they overshadow six years of steady learning?
As a Nigerian teaching Physics, Mathematics and Pre-Calculus in Manitoba, Canada, this question has stayed with me. In my classroom, I evaluate learning patterns over time: growth in problem-solving, responsiveness to feedback, persistence, and engagement. A student’s potential, in my view, is far greater than what can be captured by performance on a single day.
Supporters of Nigeria’s assessment model point out that School-Based Continuous Assessment (CA) already contributes officially to students’ final grades. In principle, incorporating classroom performance throughout the academic year makes sense.
In practice, however, inconsistent monitoring and assessment standards across thousands of schools have undermined confidence in the system. As a result, the final examination continues to carry much of the public’s attention and perceived importance.
Recent government reforms point towards an opportunity for improvement. In 2026, the Federal Government introduced new guidelines aimed at strengthening the integrity of continuous assessment through improved data systems, verification processes and structured reporting.
If these reforms succeed in making CA more reliable and credible, Nigeria could consider a gradual shift towards giving verified classroom learning a greater role in determining student outcomes.
My experience teaching in Manitoba continually reinforces the importance of measuring learning over time. I have seen students struggle during the early stages of Pre-Calculus, only to finish the school year among the strongest performers in the class. I have also seen students who become overwhelmed during major tests demonstrate a deep and consistent understanding of the subject throughout the semester.
As a Numeracy Lead, I look beyond test scores to consider progress, resilience and the development of problem-solving skills. Learning is a process, not a single moment.
The students who eventually excel are not always those who begin as the strongest. Often, they are the ones who demonstrate the greatest growth. In Manitoba, a student’s transcript reflects learning accumulated across the high school years.
In systems that place disproportionate emphasis on high-stakes examinations, however, a capable student who encounters an unexpected challenge on examination day may be judged largely by their worst moment. That can obscure the broader picture of their ability and development.
*What 21st-Century assessment looks like elsewhere
Several education systems have sought to balance external examinations with sustained classroom assessment.
United States: High school transcripts generally reflect multi-year grades and course performance, with factors such as course rigour, recommendations and, in some contexts, standardised tests contributing to broader assessments of students.
Canada: In Manitoba, graduation is based on the accumulation of credits across the high school years. Where external or provincial assessments exist, they form only part of the overall assessment picture, alongside classroom evaluations, assignments and projects.
These approaches do not eliminate examinations. Rather, they seek to balance examinations with evidence of learning gathered over time.
An excessive emphasis on final examinations can encourage rote memorisation at the expense of deeper understanding. It can also contribute to examination anxiety and create incentives for academic shortcuts.
Important qualities such as critical thinking, resilience, collaboration and creativity are often better observed through sustained learning activities than during a single timed examination.
*What Nigeria should explore
This is not a call to abolish WAEC or NECO. External examinations serve important purposes by providing standardisation, supporting accountability and helping maintain public confidence in educational qualifications.
Instead, Nigeria should consider recalibrating the balance between external examinations and credible school-based assessment.
The country could:
*Fully implement and strengthen the new continuous assessment infrastructure to improve transparency, consistency and public trust.
*Gradually increase the weight of verified continuous assessment as the reliability of the system improves.
*Establish stronger second-chance pathways through which students who underperform can demonstrate mastery without facing unnecessary delays or excessive financial burdens.
*Improve transparency around assessment processes so that parents, students and educators better understand how academic performance is measured.
*Invest in teacher training and school infrastructure to ensure that assessment standards are applied more consistently across the country.
Every year, millions of Nigerian students are told, in effect, that a relatively short period of examinations can provide the fairest measure of years of education. It is worth asking whether that assumption still serves the needs of a 21st-century education system.
If Nigeria’s continuous assessment reforms succeed, the country can build an assessment framework that preserves rigorous standards while giving students meaningful recognition for sustained classroom learning.
The goal should not be to diminish the credibility of WAEC or NECO. Rather, it should be to complement external examinations with a more comprehensive picture of what students know, understand and can do.
A 21st-century nation should maintain credible examinations while recognising that six years of learning cannot always be fully represented in a few hours of testing.
*Bello is a High School Physics & Mathematics Teacher/Numeracy Lead in Manitoba, Canada
Email: sosas.bello@gmail.com
