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The iRead To Live Initiative has urged the Federal Ministry of Education to publish the cost analysis behind its proposed increase in WAEC and NECO registration fees before making any final decision. The group argued that the ministry should provide evidence to justify the earlier proposal to raise the examination fee to a uniform ₦50,000, stressing that transparency must guide any policy affecting millions of Nigerian students.
According to the think tank, simply suspending the proposed fee hike is not enough, as the planned stakeholder consultations should be based on publicly available financial data rather than taking place after widespread criticism. It questioned why the operational cost analysis and other documents said to have informed the proposal were not released alongside the ministry’s June 18 circular.
The group also called on the ministry to publish the latest audited financial statements of both WAEC and NECO, while urging the National Assembly to conduct a public review of the proposed increase. It maintained that any future decision on examination fees should be backed by clear evidence and should take into account the financial realities facing low-income families across the country.
