FG directs WAEC, NECO to engrave NIN, DOB, photograph on certificates

The federal government in its efforts to curb cheating among students has directed the public examination bodies to henceforth inscribe National Identification Number (NIN), Date of Birth (DoB) with photograph embossed on candidates’ certificate results.

Tunji Alausa, the minister of education gave the instruction on Thursday in Abuja during inauguration of a committee to work on migration of examinations conducted by West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO), and National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB), among others, from current paper-based examination to Computer Based Test (CBT), in the next three years.

Read also: WAEC offers students quicker WASSCE retake option

According to the minister WAEC, NECO, and NABTEB, among others are to begin to engrave NIN, DoB, and photographs on certificates issued to qualified candidates who sit their various examinations henceforth.

Alausa had decried the rising cases of examination malpractices and identity theft, saying engraving NIN, DoB and picture of candidates in certificates results issued to them would tremendously reduce some these unwholesome practices.

He described as unfortunate situations where parents, teachers, principals of schools and school owners collude to help students cheat in examinations.

“We have the students; we also have the parents contributing to the exams malpractices, encouraging their children.

“We have the teachers, we have the principals of schools as well, and also we have people supervising these exams and we are targeting all of these areas,” he said.

The minister speaking on terms of reference of the committee, said government had to look at the entire ecosystem of examinations in the country, because there are various players in examination malpractices.

The six terms of reference for this committee are: One, to eliminate exam leakages in the country; two, identify the problem of examination identity theft, and provide a solution on how we can eliminate that.

The third area that the committee will be working on is to migrate the exam from current paper-based examination to computer-based testing, CBT, in the next three years.

Read also: WAEC releases 2024 WASSCE results, withholds 215,267

“We’re planning that in the next three years all our exams will be computer-based. That’s 2027, that’s our plan, and we will work so hard to make sure that happens. We have to use technology to help our endeavour.

“The committee will also be working on local swapping of candidates. They will also be working on enhancing examination quality supervision. We’ll come up with guidelines on who can supervise exams.

“I have mandated all the registrars of our examination bodies that by the end of this year, by their next exam, actually, for WAEC, NECO, NAPTEB, anybody that by their next exam, which will happen May, June, July, there will be three identifiers on the certificates they give out on the exam results.

“Those identifiers will be, number one, the National Identification Number of the candidates. Number two, the picture of the candidate must be embossed on the certificates. And number three, their date of birth,” he stated.