VIDEO: WAEC, NECO Fee Hike To ₦50,000 Sparks Outrage

The Federal Government has come under criticism following its approval of a new ₦50,000 registration fee for candidates sitting the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examinations, effective from 2027.

Naija News reports that the new amount represents an increase of about 82 per cent from the current registration fee of ₦27,500 and is regarded as one of the sharpest increases in public examination charges in recent years.

Education experts, private school proprietors and political stakeholders warned that the increase could place an additional burden on struggling families, force more children out of school and undermine efforts to improve access to education.

The approval was conveyed in a letter dated June 18, 2026, and signed by the Director of Senior Secondary Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Adeniji Ibrahim.

The letter followed a request by WAEC for an upward review of the examination fees payable by candidates sitting the Senior School Certificate Examination from 2027.

According to the ministry, the decision was reached after a meeting between the Minister of Education and examination bodies on March 31, 2026, during which the increasing cost of conducting public examinations was discussed.

At the meeting, the minister reportedly directed WAEC and NECO to adopt a uniform registration fee for their respective Senior School Certificate Examinations.

The ministry stated, “You may recall that at a meeting of examination bodies held with the honourable minister of education on 31 March, 2026, where the need for upward review of examination fees was discussed, the honourable minister directed that WAEC and NECO should adopt a uniform fee for the conduct of WAEC and NECO SSCE.

“Consequently, I am directed to convey the honourable minister of education’s approval of the sum of fifty thousand naira (₦50,000.00) only, as the new examination fee per candidate, with effect from NECO SSCE (Internal), 2027.”

The ministry also directed the Registrar of NECO to notify relevant stakeholders ahead of the implementation of the revised fee.

Confirming the development, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, said the upward review had received official approval.

“I can confirm the approval of an upward review of the examination fees. I spoke with the director in charge a few minutes ago and he said the approval was done,” Boriowo said.

Although the ministry did not provide a detailed breakdown of the factors considered before approving the increase, examination bodies have repeatedly cited rising operational expenses as justification for periodic reviews of their charges.

The expenses include the cost of printing examination materials, logistics, security, supervision, technology deployment, transportation and general administration.

However, education stakeholders argued that families were already struggling with increases in tuition, transportation, textbooks, uniforms, feeding and other school-related expenses.

They warned that the new fee could make secondary school certification unaffordable for thousands of students, particularly those from low-income households.

There are also concerns about the financial implications for state governments that fully or partially sponsor candidates for WAEC and NECO examinations.

States operating free examination registration programmes may now require substantially higher budgetary allocations to sustain them, while those already struggling to meet existing obligations could come under additional pressure.

Fee Hike Will Worsen Out-of-school Crisis – Educationists

The National Mobilisation Officer of the Education Rights Campaign, Adaramoye Michael Lenin, described the decision as counterproductive and inconsistent with the government’s commitment to expanding access to education.

Speaking to Daily Trust, Lenin argued that the increase would worsen rather than reduce the number of out-of-school children in the country.

“This increase is not going to help curb the out-of-school crisis the government is trying to stop; rather, it will increase it. How does this help make education attractive to an already existing group of Nigerians who don’t fancy education?” he asked.

“With this increase, it seems education has been commercialised and it’s now a danger, looking at the existing poor infrastructure and learning environment.

“We have Nigerians facing economic challenges and adding this extra burden will see parents who can’t afford the fees withdraw their kids to come and join them on the farm, in markets or wherever they make a living. Students will be discouraged.

“As a group, we demand an immediate reversal of the fees. We condemn it in totality.”

Lenin said imposing higher examination charges at a time of inflation, declining purchasing power and widespread economic hardship could discourage school enrolment and undermine efforts to improve learning outcomes.

He also questioned how the increase aligned with government policies aimed at reducing learning poverty and increasing the number of children completing secondary education.

The President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Federal Capital Territory chapter, Mrs Dorothy Okwuenu, also described the development as unfortunate.

Okwuenu warned that the increase could frustrate efforts to retain children in school, particularly as many parents were already struggling to meet their families’ basic needs.

She said, “It is a terrible move from the government. It is quite unfortunate that the government will be increasing the fees now and, unfortunately, we are stuck.

“The increase has a multiplier effect as it will discourage students from going to school, thus increasing the number of out-of-school children.

“We have struggling parents who can’t afford this increase. Will the government pay for the public school students?

“I understand the other policy on the JSS and SSS, which is a good one for students to have 12 years of straight education, but this increase can derail that policy.”

According to Okwuenu, the proposed 12-year uninterrupted basic education system is intended to improve school retention and reduce dropout rates, but raising examination fees without corresponding financial support could defeat the purpose of the policy.

She said parents with children in public and private schools were already dealing with enormous financial pressure and might be unable to accommodate another major increase in educational expenses.

Poor Students May Be Left Behind

The Executive Director of Chalcedony Prime School, Abuja, Dr Mary Chinwuba, said the development raised broader questions about fairness, affordability and equal access to education.

Chinwuba warned that thousands of qualified students from poor households could be prevented from completing their secondary education because their parents could not afford the new charges.

“Many Nigerian families are already struggling with inflation and the rising cost of living. A sharp increase in examination fees could prevent thousands of qualified students from sitting for WAEC or NECO exams, especially those from low-income homes.

“Some students who cannot afford the examination fees may become discouraged and leave school altogether, increasing the number of out-of-school youths.

“Parents are already paying tuition, textbooks, uniforms, transportation and feeding costs. An additional ₦50,000 per candidate will place significant pressure on household finances.

“Children from wealthier families will continue their education with little difficulty, while those from poorer homes may be left behind, widening the gap in educational opportunity.

“My position as an educationist is that quality education should remain accessible, affordable and inclusive,” she said.

The Proprietress of The Winners Joy International Academy, Kubwa, Abuja, Rosemary Onyenagubo, expressed similar concerns, warning that formal education was gradually becoming inaccessible to poorer families.

“Gradually, education is becoming only for the rich. The increase will cause so many students to drop out, especially those who can’t afford it.

“The increase is also coming at a time when many families are struggling to feed, and this may push them to abandon education totally,” Onyenagubo said.

Atiku Describes Increase As Economically Insensitive

Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, also criticised the approval, describing it as cruel and economically insensitive.

Atiku condemned both the increase in fees charged by Federal Unity Colleges and the approval of a uniform ₦50,000 examination fee for WAEC and NECO candidates from 2027.

In a statement issued by his media aide, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said it was unconscionable for the Federal Government to make education more expensive at a time when Nigerian families were battling inflation, high food prices, rising transport costs, increased electricity tariffs, unemployment and stagnant incomes.

He argued that the decision was incompatible with the government’s constitutional responsibility to make education accessible to every Nigerian child.

Atiku maintained that education remained the most effective instrument for social mobility and one of the surest pathways out of poverty for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

According to him, every additional financial burden imposed on parents could deny another child the opportunity to learn, pursue personal ambitions and contribute meaningfully to society.

Tinubu’s Old Video Resurfaces

Amid the criticism generated by the fee increase, an old video showing President Bola Tinubu discussing the payment of examination fees for students during his tenure as Lagos State governor resurfaced on social media.

In the 2001 video, Tinubu, who spoke in Yoruba, said his administration approved the payment of West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees because many parents could not afford the cost.

Naija News recalls that Tinubu served as governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007.

He said examination fees at the time ranged between ₦1,000 and ₦2,000, but many families were still unable to pay.

“Before we came into office, students were asked to pay WAEC fees of between ₦1,000 and ₦2,000. But during the campaign, about 17 people told me they could not afford the fees and had asked their children to stay at home,” Tinubu said.

“At that point, I said never again. We decided that the government would pay the examination fees for the students.

“When we started paying over ₦100m, they introduced separate fees for science practicals, but I said I would not pay that one.”

The President also narrated an encounter with schoolchildren in Lagos which, according to him, influenced the decision to fund their examination registration.

“I had left office around 5 p.m. In Mile 12, I saw women selling bread and sachet water with children still in their school uniforms. One of the children was carrying a tray of groundnuts on the head.

“I asked myself, if we don’t pay these fees, how can these children become pharmacists, doctors or engineers?

“I went back to the office and approved the payment. But paying examination fees alone is not enough. If we don’t provide laboratories in schools, it won’t make sense because the students also need practical training and the necessary learning materials,” he added.

See the old video clip below.

While the Tinubu government insists that the latest increase is necessary to sustain the quality, credibility and administration of national examinations, education stakeholders and concerned Nigerians maintain that affordability must remain central to any reform affecting millions of Nigerian schoolchildren.