By Anas Abbas
The Federal Government has withdrawn its recent increase in registration fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council’s (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE), following widespread criticism from Nigerians.
The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, announced the suspension in a statement on Monday, confirming that the letter dated June 18, 2026, which had communicated the new fees, has been withdrawn pending further review.
According to the ministry, the initial proposal was driven by rising operational costs, covering logistics, security, printing, technology deployment and quality assurance, needed to maintain credible national examinations, noting that registration fees had stayed largely the same for years despite these growing expenses.
However, Minister of Education Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa has now directed that the plan be put on hold in the interest of a more inclusive and transparent policy process.
The ministry said it would consult more broadly with examination bodies, state education ministries, school administrators, parents’ groups, labour representatives and other stakeholders before any new fee structure is considered.
It added that the review would not proceed until this consultation process concludes, and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting students’ welfare and equitable access to education.
The fee increase had drawn sharp criticism from prominent Nigerians, including African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who had described the hike as insensitive to the realities facing Nigerian families.