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NELFUND Pushes for Inclusive Student Loan Access in South-South and South-East Nigerian Educational Loan fund (NELFUND) has called on South-South and South-East institutions to increase student loan awareness and participation, stating the need for regional inclusivity and digital reforms to make sure there is fair and efficient access to higher education funding across Nigeria. The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) made this announcement following a noticeable shortfall in application rates from these areas compared to other geopolitical zones. This call to action was made during a comprehensive, multi-day stakeholders’ engagement and technical workshop, op which was held in Abuja, which brought together representatives from universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, and colleges of education to deliberate on streamlining the student loan process. The session emphasised key themes such as system automation, enhancing transparency, and addressing bottlenecks affecting institutional compliance and student accessibility. NELFUND’s Managing Director and CEO, Akintunde Sawyerr, reiterated the agency’s mission to establish a fully digitized, student-focused, and equitable financial aid ecosystem capable of delivering timely and accountable educational support nationwide. Other notable contributors, including lawmakers and education sector leaders, underscored the vital role of technology integration, stakeholder collaboration, policy reforms, and inclusive practices in ensuring that all students, regardless of region, can benefit from government-backed financial assistance to pursue their academic goals and contribute meaningfully to national development. credit: MIKE-MEDIA

NO GOING BACK ON CBT FOR WAEC, NECO — EDUCATION MINISTER SAYS The Federal Government has insisted that it would go ahead with the transition to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) by 2026. The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this while appearing on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, May 6.His comments came amid growing concerns about the integrity of public examinations, especially following the release of statistics from the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), which revealed that over 1.5 million of the 1.95 million candidates scored below 200 out of 400. Responding to questions about the poor UTME results and what they indicate about learning outcomes at the senior secondary school level, Alausa said, “That’s a big concern, and it’s a reflection of exams being done the proper way. Responding to questions about the poor UTME results and what they indicate about learning outcomes at the senior secondary school level, Alausa said, “That’s a big concern, and it’s a reflection of exams being done the proper way. JAMB conducts its exam using a computer-based testing system. They’ve implemented strong security measures, and as a result, fraud or cheating has been nearly eliminated. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for WAEC and NECO.” The minister revealed that the government had conducted a comprehensive review of the country’s examination systems shortly after he assumed office. We carried out a diagnostic review of how exams are conducted nationwide. I set up a committee to investigate this, and I expect to receive their report in the coming days,” he said. “JAMB is now almost 100 per cent fraud-free, but WAEC and NECO still have major lapses. Our youths are intelligent, capable, and energetic. It’s the environment that corrupts them, and we’re determined to fix that.” The minister confirmed that extensive consultations had already been held with the leadership of WAEC, NECO, the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS). “By November this year, WAEC and NECO will begin CBT exams. There’s no going back on that,” he said.In April, the Federal Government formally directed WAEC and NECO to fully adopt CBT for all examinations by 2026.The Ministry of Education specified that objective sections must transition by November 2025, with full integration of both objective and essay components by the 2026 examination cycle. WAEC had already piloted a computer-based format for its private candidates in 2023, with over 8,000 candidates participating in the inaugural edition. credit: MIKE-MEDIA