No fewer than 1,959,636 candidates from 24,207 schools are participating in the ongoing Computer-Based West African Senior School Certificate Examination (CB-WASSCE) for school candidates.

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) announced this yesterday in Lagos at a media briefing addressed by its Head of the Nigeria National Office (HNO), Dr. Amos Dangut.

The HNO said this year’s examination showed a higher female participation.

He said 1,001,072 candidates, representing 51.08 per cent, were female, which indicated a rise in the gender’s participation, compared to the previous year.

The HNO noted that more schools adopted the computer-based examination mode this year following the success of its maiden edition in 2025 and the recommendations of the Federal Ministry of Education.

He said the examination lasted eight weeks and three days, and would end on June 19.

Dangut stated that some offshore schools in neighbouring countries used the WAEC syllabus to enrol for the CB-WASSCE.

The HNO said the examination body remained committed to stemming examination malpractice with its serialisation feature, which ensures no two candidates receive the same question sequence.

He added that the National Identification Number (NIN) was included in the registration process in compliance with the Federal Government’s directives.

Commenting on the challenge that insecurity posed in some parts of the country, he said the council was partnering the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), other security agencies, and state governments to ensure smooth conduct of its examination.

Dangut cautioned candidates, supervisors, and schools against examination malpractice, stressing that offenders would face sanctions approved by the Nigeria Examinations Committee.

The HNO warned parents against patronising rogue websites allegedly involved in examination fraud.

He added that WAEC would work with the police to track and prosecute offenders.

The WAEC spokesman listed the digital certificate platform, WAEC Verify, WAEC chatbot, centre locator, and examination malpractice portal among the services it introduced to improve efficiency and accessibility.

Dangut also encouraged candidates to utilise educational resources provided by the council, which included the WAEC E-Study Portal, WAEC E-Learning Portal, Chief Examiners’ Reports, and past question materials.