The West African Examinations Council has debunked reports claiming it directed secondary schools to limit students’ subject choices for the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination.
WAEC described the allegations as false and misleading on Tuesday, urging schools and the public to disregard the circulating information.
Acting Head of Public Affairs, Moyosola Adeshina, issued the clarification on behalf of the Head of National Office, stating that the examination body never issued such directives.
“WAEC wishes to categorically distance itself from this unfounded assumption and the information making the rounds on the said subject. The Council did not issue any such directive(s) nor restrict the choice of students to offer any particular subject(s) for WASSCE (SC) 2026 as alleged,” the statement read.
The Council emphasised that curriculum development remains the exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government through relevant education authorities, not WAEC.
It explained that its mandate is limited to implementing government-approved curricula through examinations, operating strictly within established legal and operational frameworks.
“The development and regulation of curricula in Nigeria is within the purview of the Federal Government. WAEC, as an examination body, only comes in to implement government policies via assessment,” the statement added.
Social media reports had recently suggested that schools received instructions limiting students’ subject combinations for the forthcoming examination, causing concern amongst education stakeholders.
WAEC assured that any curriculum changes would follow due process rather than arbitrary implementation.
The examination body, established in 1952, conducts assessments across five West African countries—Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia.
“Schools, stakeholders, and the general public are hereby advised to disregard the misleading reports and rely solely on official communications from the Council for accurate information regarding examination guidelines for WASSCE (SC) 2026,” the Council stated.
