• Only 28.75% of senior secondary students have basic computer proficiency
• 7% Nigerians between 15 and 24 have IT skills
• 2027 CBT deadline is overly ambitious, say stakeholders

Nigeria’s ambitious push to adopt the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) model for national examinations faces monumental hurdles rooted in systemic inequality, technological deficits, multidimensional poverty and epileptic electricity supply.

While the federal government touts CBT as a tool to curb exam malpractice and modernise assessments, data revealed that Nigeria is unprepared for this transition, with marginalised communities, particularly in the North, poised to bear the brunt of its rollout.

Last December, the federal government set a three-year timeline to migrate all examinations conducted by the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to the CBT mode.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who disclosed this at a meeting with officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), NECO, and WAEC, restated the government’s zero tolerance for exam malpractice, reiterating the need to protect the sanctity of all examinations.

But the minister, while acknowledging that Nigeria would not be fully ready with the necessary infrastructure for nationwide CBT implementation by November, said the plan was to start with multiple-choice exams this year, with full adoption, including essay papers, targeted for May/June 2026. A complete transition is expected by 2027.

However, significant challenges remain, especially in deploying infrastructure to remote and underserved areas. Current data obtained by The Guardian paints a grim picture of computer literacy among Nigerian youth, indicating that just about seven per cent of Nigerians between 15 and 24 have adequate IT skills.

For instance, in Ebonyi, 92 per cent of rural schools lack power, as a local advocacy group, ‘Education in Ebonyi’, reported that 87 out of 96 visited schools had no electricity, while in Sokoto, there is only one certified CBT centre per 8,000 candidates.

The 2023 NECO/JAMB CBT Centre Report listed only 12 accredited CBT centres in Sokoto State, while the state ministry of education (2023) reported that over 98,000 registered for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, meaning 8,167 candidates per centre.

Even in the so-called ‘Centre of Excellence’, a Senior Secondary School II student, James Uzor, from Ojota Senior Secondary School, said he had never used a computer before.

“We have a computer lab. We have never used the computers before. The principal banned students from touching the computers. Now we have learnt that all the PCs are no longer working. I am really scared. There will be mass failure because many of us do not know how to use a computer,” Uzor told The Guardian.

Similarly, a senior secondary 1 student at Station High School, Ishaga, Adeolu Akinsete, shared the same story. The young Akinsete said that though they have a computer lab, it is never opened for use.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2022 Learning Assessment revealed that only 28.7 per cent of senior secondary students demonstrate basic computer proficiency.

In Northern states, proficiency rates range from six to nine per cent, according to the Kano State Education Report 2023. Relatedly, the Universal Basic Education Commission’s (UBEC) 2022 census showed that 89 per cent of private urban schools teach computer studies, compared to just 12 per cent of public rural schools.

Central to the debate is the question of how many Nigerian children are prepared for CBT in terms of computer literacy.
Many students, especially those in rural and underserved communities, have had limited opportunities to interact with computers throughout their academic journey.

The lack of exposure is not merely a result of educational neglect but also a reflection of broader socio-economic challenges. The infrastructural landscape compounds these challenges. Approximately 95 million Nigerians lack access to electricity, a fundamental requirement for CBT. This figure is particularly high in northern Nigeria, where poverty is most acute.

States such as Sokoto, Kebbi, and Jigawa report multidimensional poverty rates exceeding 80 per cent, with less than 10 per cent of households having reliable electricity.

In many rural schools, electricity is almost non-existent and without stable power, the operation of computer labs and CBT centres is untenable.
Moreover, the technological infrastructure within schools is grossly inadequate.

A 2023 assessment revealed that 65 per cent of secondary schools in the country lack functional libraries, and 90 per cent do not have computer laboratories.

Even where computers exist, the average number per school is about eight, far below the government’s policy target of 40 computers per school. The situation is worse in public schools, where educational resources are stretched thin.

Teachers, too, face similar challenges, with nearly 40 per cent reporting insufficient ICT training, limiting their ability to prepare students for computer-based assessments.

Studies conducted at universities such as Gombe State University and the Federal College of Education, Oyo, revealed that over half of the students were unfamiliar with computer use before taking CBT exams, and nearly 47 per cent did not receive any training before their first CBT experience.

Delayed test starts, erratic Internet connectivity, power failures, and inadequate examination centre conditions are common issues with CBT, leading to student anxiety, disrupted exams, and, in some cases, unfair results.

Besides, the lack of trained invigilators proficient in ICT further compounded these challenges. According to the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), as of 2023, about 72 per cent of educators lack digital training.

Not a few experts have highlighted the regional disparities in the country’s system. According to them, the north-south divide manifests not only in poverty and infrastructure, but also in access to technology.

Northern states, which host the largest population of out-of-school children (estimated at 20.2 million nationwide), have the least access to digital tools.

While some elite private schools in urban centres have introduced interactive smart boards and computer labs, these remain exceptions rather than the norm, as most public schools in the north lack even basic chalkboards.

Students in these regions often must travel long distances, sometimes over 20 kilometres, to reach CBT centres, a journey fraught with logistical and safety challenges.

This digital divide gets complicated by the educationally disadvantaged quota system, aimed at increasing university admissions from northern states. While well-intentioned, this policy highlights the contradictions inherent in the rollout of CBT.

Students benefiting from the quota often come from schools without computer facilities or electricity, putting them at a disadvantage in a digital examination environment.

The lack of foundational literacy and digital skills raises questions about the fairness of imposing CBT exams on these students without adequate preparatory measures.

The educationally disadvantaged quota system exists to address historical inequities in university admissions, particularly in northern states. However, this policy highlights the digital divide, as students from these regions often lack prior exposure to computers, complicating their ability to perform well in CBT exams.

Findings revealed that in Borno, three of 56 schools, namely Government College, Maiduguri; Bulumkutu Mega School, Maiduguri, and Girls Federal Government School, Monguno, have computer labs post-Boko Haram.

Borno State Ministry of Education confirmed in an official briefing that three out of 56 assessed schools, mostly in Maiduguri, had ICT labs, with most schools in conflict-affected areas lacking digital infrastructure.

Human Rights Watch documented Boko Haram’s destruction of over 1,400 schools in the northeast, with slow rehabilitation efforts. Closely related to the challenge of disparity in tech is the level of poverty. The 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) report indicates that over 133 million Nigerians suffer from deprivations in education, health, and living standards.

In the north, 82 per cent of the population lacks access to clean water, 76 per cent live without adequate healthcare, and 68 per cent face severe food insecurity.

These conditions make digital skills acquisition a low priority for many families struggling to meet basic needs. Poverty remains a formidable barrier. At least 40.1 per cent of Nigerians live below $1.90 per day, according to the World Bank’s 2023 report. Additionally, according to the African Development Bank (AfDB), Nigerian families spend 45 per cent of their education budgets on non-fee costs.

Nigeria’s poverty rate, which stood at 41.4 per cent in 2023, is projected to rise to nearly 47.2 per cent, with inflation and currency devaluation exacerbating the situation.

An estimated 13 million more Nigerians are expected to fall below the poverty line by 2025. For families living on less than $2.15 per day, the prospect of affording access to computers, internet services, or even transportation to distant CBT centres is bleak.

The cost of computer training alone, which can exceed N10,000 monthly, is prohibitive for many households. In this context, expecting students from impoverished backgrounds to seamlessly transition to CBT exams without significant support is considered unrealistic.

To calm already frayed nerves, the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, said: “We will not roll out CBT in a way that excludes any student. Every child will have the opportunity to write their examination, regardless of location or infrastructure. Nigerians should bear with us. We are taking all concerns seriously, and by the time CBT is fully rolled out, no child will be put at a disadvantage.”

Regarding the dearth of facilities, Ahmad stated: “When we roll out the CBT examination, we are going to make use of existing centres being used by JAMB for UTME. We are not going to make use of school centres since, as you rightly mentioned, there are schools in the rural locations that don’t have light.”

Meanwhile, stakeholders have expressed genuine concern, stating that the timeline for full CBT implementation by 2027 is overly ambitious, given the current state of the country’s infrastructure and digital literacy.

They advocated for a hybrid examination system that maintains paper-based tests in regions with low electrification and limited ICT access, while gradually expanding CBT in urban centres.

Subsidising CBT fees for low-income students and providing free practice platforms are also recommended to reduce exclusion. Additionally, they noted that embedding digital literacy into the national curriculum from primary through secondary education is essential to prepare future generations for computer-based assessments.