WAEC Threatens Sanctions Against Schools, Officials Over Illegal ‘Cooperation Fees’
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has warned school proprietors, principals, supervisors and invigilators against extorting candidates sitting for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), saying offenders risk severe sanctions.
The warning comes amid reports that some examination officials and schools are demanding money from candidates under various pretexts, including transportation of examination scripts, welfare packages and unauthorised “cooperation fees”.
The Head of WAEC’s National Office in Nigeria, Amos Dangut, had earlier disclosed that 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools registered for the 2026 WASSCE.
According to him, 1,001,072 candidates, representing 51.08 per cent of the total enrolment, are female, while 958,564 candidates, representing 48.92 per cent, are male.
The examination commenced on April 21 with practical papers and is scheduled to end on June 19.
In a statement issued on Monday, WAEC’s Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adesina, said the council had received disturbing reports of extortion involving candidates across some examination centres.
“The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has received alarming reports of supervisors and some schools extorting candidates under various pretexts, including transportation of scripts, welfare packages and unauthorised cooperation fees,” the statement said.
Adesina also alleged that some schools were compelling candidates to pay for KAPEK calculators that had already been provided free of charge by the council.
She described the practices as illegal, unethical and capable of undermining the credibility and integrity of the examination process.
The council, therefore, directed school proprietors, principals, supervisors and invigilators to immediately desist from collecting money from candidates or their parents on behalf of examination officials.
WAEC further urged candidates and parents to promptly report any case of extortion to the appropriate zonal coordinator, branch controller or through the council’s designated email channels.
The examination body also warned against any form of harassment, intimidation or victimisation of candidates during the conduct of the examination.
According to the council, schools and officials found guilty of violating its directives would face stiff penalties, including derecognition of examination centres, blacklisting, prosecution and referral to relevant authorities for disciplinary action.
Adesina reaffirmed WAEC’s commitment to upholding the integrity of its examinations and protecting the future of Nigerian students.
She stressed that the council would continue to take decisive measures against any individual or institution whose actions threaten the credibility of the examination system.