The Federal Government has introduced new uniform national Continuous Assessment (CA) guidelines, requiring secondary schools and examination bodies, including the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the National Examinations Council (NECO), to adopt secure and interconnected CA portals linked to the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI).
The policy applies to public and government-approved private secondary schools and requires all students to have National Learner Identity Numbers (NLINs) linked to their National Identification Numbers (NINs).
Under the new guidelines, schools will be required to submit CA records according to fixed national deadlines beginning from the 2026/2027 academic session. First-term records are to be uploaded in January, second-term records in April, and third-term records in August.
The Federal Government said the system is designed to improve data integrity and prevent the manipulation or retrospective alteration of students’ CA scores ahead of final examinations, thereby helping to curb examination malpractice.
Speaking to education stakeholders, including state commissioners, school owners, administrators, and examination bodies, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the reforms were aimed at making Nigeria’s education system more globally competitive.
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The guidelines also provide for the formal processing of student transfers between schools. Once a transfer is approved, a student’s previous CA records will automatically be transferred to the new institution, preventing schools from deleting or altering historical records.
Schools that violate the guidelines could face sanctions, including suspension or blacklisting, particularly in cases involving examination malpractice, fraudulent CA submissions, misrepresentation of learners or failure to comply with registration directives.
A suspended school will have its CA portal blocked, while affected students will be flagged as “orphaned” and transferred to nearby accredited schools or approved temporary examination centres. Examination bodies are also required to notify the relevant state Ministry of Education within two days of a school’s suspension.
The Federal Ministry of Education will monitor compliance through its Basic and Senior Secondary Departments and intervene where necessary.
The guidelines are subject to review after one year of implementation to address any challenges that may arise.
