Senate halts WAEC curriculum change over fears for 2026 candidates

The Senate on Tuesday waded into a brewing crisis in Nigeria’s education sector, summoning the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Head of the National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Dr. Amos Dangut, over new examination guidelines that lawmakers say could spell disaster for hundreds of thousands of secondary school students.

At the centre of the controversy are fresh WAEC rules for candidates sitting the 2025/2026 Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), which drastically alter subject requirements for students currently in Senior Secondary School 3 (SS3).

Senators warned that the sudden policy shift, coming barely months to the examinations, could trigger mass failure and undermine confidence in Nigeria’s education system.

Raising the motion, Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi-West) faulted WAEC’s decision to implement a new curriculum immediately, despite earlier indications that the changes were meant to take effect in two years’ time.

According to him, the guidelines were originally designed for students now in SS1, who would sit for the SSCE in the 2027/2028 academic session—not those already preparing for the 2025/2026 May/June examinations.

Karimi painted a grim picture of the consequences, noting that key subjects such as Computer Studies, Civic Education and all previously approved trade subjects have been removed from the SSCE subject list for 2026.

He said the decision effectively wipes out years of preparation by students and schools across the country.

Even more troubling, senators heard, is the ripple effect of the removals. With the affected subjects gone, students across science, humanities and business tracks are left with a maximum of six subjects, far below WAEC’s own requirement of a minimum of eight and a maximum of nine subjects.

This, Karimi argued, would force candidates to register for between two and three entirely new subjects—courses they have never been taught and for which they are grossly unprepared—just months before the examinations.

While acknowledging the value of the newly introduced trade subjects, including Beauty and Cosmetology, Fashion Design and Garment Making, Livestock Farming, Computer Hardware and GSM Repairs, Solar Photovoltaic Installation, and Horticulture, lawmakers warned that examining students on these courses without prior training would damage results and lower academic standards.

“This is how mass failure begins,” Karimi cautioned, adding that reform, no matter how well-intentioned, must be phased and humane.

Senators across party lines echoed the concern, agreeing that although curriculum reform is long overdue, its timing could unfairly punish current SS3 students. They urged WAEC and the Ministry of Education to exempt the 2025/2026 candidates and apply the new rules only to students sitting for the 2027/2028 examinations.

Former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, was particularly blunt. He warned against what he described as a habitual rush to policy implementation without groundwork.

“We wake up, think of an idea and immediately begin to implement it,” Oshiomhole said. “Do we have enough teachers? Have laboratories been prepared? The evidence doesn’t exist. We shouldn’t plan in a way that will embarrass us as a nation.”

Former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Senator Idiat Adebule, supported the motion but called for a thorough investigation, noting that decisions of this magnitude are traditionally discussed and endorsed by the National Council of Education, which includes commissioners of education from all 36 states.

Adding his voice, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Adeola Olamilekan, stressed that examinations must be based on prior learning, not abrupt policy shifts. “Students must have adequate tutoring before WAEC can examine them,” he said, insisting that the Minister of Education had critical questions to answer.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his concluding remarks, queried the logic behind removing Computer Studies and Civic Education at a time Nigeria is pushing digital literacy and civic responsibility.

“Everything is going digital. Why remove computer studies?” Akpabio asked. “And civic education teaches our children their anthem and their obligations to the nation. We need to be sure this information is even correct.”

The Senate thereafter referred the matter to the Committee on Basic and Secondary Education, mandating it to investigate the new WAEC guidelines and report back to the chamber within two weeks—raising hopes among parents, teachers and students that a looming educational crisis may yet be averted.