CBT Will Help End ‘Miracle Centres’ — WAEC
A senior official of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has advocated for the widespread adoption of Computer Based Testing (CBT) as the primary strategy to eliminate examination malpractice, specifically targeting the phenomenon of unverified “miracle centres” that threaten the integrity of public examinations.
Timothy Manga, an official with the WAEC office in Makurdi, Benue State, made this recommendation during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Manga expressed deep concern over persistent allegations regarding the existence of such centres within Benue, though he acknowledged that no official confirmation of these sites has been established in the state. “Any system that rewards students for cheating undermines those who have worked hard to prepare for examinations,” Manga stated. He further emphasised the need for a fundamental shift, saying, “We need an examination system where success is determined by knowledge, preparation, and competence, not by the ability to access assistance during examinations.”
The examination body official clarified the current position of the council on the matter, noting, “Though WAEC has not gotten any information on any school being a ‘miracle centre’, we would continue to put our ears to the ground in case we hear of any that we can set an example with.”
The issue of examination malpractice has long dogged Nigeria’s education system. According to the National Examination Council (NECO), between 2019 and 2023, over 25,000 candidates were blacklisted for various forms of malpractice across the country. WAEC’s own statistical reports from 2022 indicated that malpractice cases spiked by approximately 12 percent during the pandemic era, when supervision was particularly challenged. The rise of digital technology has been a double edged sword, enabling both new cheating methods and also technological solutions to counter them.
Offering a structural perspective, Mrs Rebecca Ezekiel, a teacher with NKST Secondary School Makurdi, argued that establishing independent examination centres could significantly reduce the influence of individual schools over the testing process. Ezekiel recommended that candidates be examined under conditions independent of their schools. “Candidates should be examined under conditions that are independent of the schools where they receive instructions,” she said. She further suggested the deployment of biometric verification and Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to strengthen monitoring protocols.
However, the perspective from private education providers introduces a layer of complexity. Mr Jude Odeh, a school proprietor in Otukpo Local Government Area, stated that the mere act of admitting final year students does not automatically qualify a school as a miracle centre. Odeh noted that some parents change their children’s schools due to the high cost of examination registration and school fees, which can become a significant financial burden. “Some schools charge examination fees arbitrarily, and when combined with school fees, the total cost becomes too high for some parents to bear,” Odeh explained.
As stakeholders debate the path forward, the transition from paper based testing to fully digitised formats appears to be gaining momentum. The National Universities Commission (NUC) has already mandated CBT for certain university entrance examinations, and WAEC’s continued advocacy suggests a gradual shift toward a national standard. Whether the federal government and state ministries of education will provide the necessary infrastructure to support a nationwide CBT implementation remains a central question for the future of Nigeria’s public examination systems.