ASUSS President Warns WAEC CBT Postponement Until 2030 Threatens Its Survival
The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Comrade Sola Adigun, has voiced strong opposition to the House of Representatives’ decision to delay the introduction of Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) until 2030. He described the postponement as effectively abandoning a long-overdue reform.
Speaking in Osogbo, Osun State, Adigun said, “Postponing this program for another five years is the same as abolishing it completely. By 2030, the political will, the officials driving it, and the urgency will be gone. Too many good policies in this country have died slow deaths through endless delays.”
He highlighted that the Federal Ministry of Education has been preparing for the CBT transition for nearly two years, including setting up accredited centers nationwide and a 2026 target for schools to be equipped with necessary technology, such as computers and power generators. The initiative is intended to reduce logistical burdens and curb widespread examination malpractice associated with paper-based testing, citing JAMB’s successful digital implementations as a model.
Challenging concerns over poor electricity and internet connectivity in rural areas, Adigun argued that these do not justify halting progress. He questioned what state governments have done with increased federal allocations since the 2023 fuel subsidy removal to improve school infrastructure, urging lawmakers to fund digital infrastructure through constituency projects instead of using gaps as an excuse for delay.
Adigun clarified that ASUSS does not advocate for a rushed implementation, but stressed the need for decisive action. “The world has gone digital. Banking, commerce, governance—everything is now online. Waiting for a ‘perfect environment’ that will never come will continue to produce digitally illiterate generations,” he warned.
He also noted that further delays would benefit those who profit from the current paper-based system. “Five more years of postponement is not caution; it is surrender. And surrender means the death of the CBT dream for WAEC,” Adigun stated.
The House of Representatives had suspended the CBT policy on November 13, 2025, citing fears of mass failures due to inadequate infrastructure. ASUSS is urging lawmakers to reverse the decision and support the Federal Ministry of Education in implementing the program as planned, warning that “postponement is cancellation by another name.”
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