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Finally, the National Examinations Council, NECO has released the results of the 2026 Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE Internal, with 804,948 candidates, representing 58.67 per cent, obtaining five credits and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

The results were released 63 days after the last paper of the examination was written.

Registrar of NECO, Prof. Dantani Wushishi, announced the results at a press conference in Minna, Niger State, on Thursday.

He said 1,378,048 candidates registered for the examination, while 1,371,992 candidates sat for the exercise, which commenced on June 15 and ended on July 23, 2026.

Wushishi disclosed that 1,162,118 candidates, representing 84.70 per cent, obtained five credits and above, irrespective of their performance in English Language and Mathematics.

The NECO registrar also announced a significant decline in examination malpractice, saying 1,406 candidates were involved in various forms of malpractice in 2026, compared with 3,878 candidates recorded in 2025.

He said the figure represented a 64.74 per cent reduction in examination malpractice.

Wushishi thanked President Bola Tinubu for reappointing him for a second tenure as NECO registrar, as well as the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for his confidence in his leadership.

He also commended security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the Department of State Services (DSS), for their vigilance, presence and support during the examination.

According to him, the agencies’ efforts helped reinforce discipline, deter wrongdoing and protect the integrity of the examination.

Wushishi reassured stakeholders and the public that NECO would remain committed to its mandate and continue to uphold the integrity of its examinations.

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The federal government has approved the takeover of Higher National Diploma admissions by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

The move is aimed at ending illegal and compromised admissions in polytechnics and other institutions offering HND programmes.

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), disclosed this in a circular dated September 9, 2026 signed by its executive secretary, Prof Idris Bugaje, which was obtained by LEADERSHIP Weekend yesterday.

The circular followed a meeting between the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, and key stakeholders, including JAMB, the National Youth Service Corps, NBTE and the Federal Ministry of Education. Under the new arrangement, all HND admissions across institutions are to be processed through JAMB from the current admission session.

According to NBTE, the centralised system is intended to address irregularities in the admission process and prevent situations where students with questionable admissions are later denied mobilisation for the NYSC after completing their HND programmes.

The board said, “All HND admissions in all institutions shall from this session be taken over by JAMB to provide centralised process and avoid illegal and compromised admissions, jeopardising students’ mobilisation for NYSC after HND.”

It added that the Federal Ministry of Education would issue a detailed statement on the new arrangement next week.

NBTE also said it would immediately develop comprehensive HND admission guidelines and submit them to JAMB to guide the digital admission platform.

“The decisions taken and approved by the Hon Minister for immediate implementation are as follows: All HND admissions in all Institutions shall from this session be taken over by JAMB to provide centralised process and avoid illegal and compromised admissions, jeopardising students mobilisation for NYSC after HND. The FME shall issue a statement on this next week with further details,” the circular stated.

The guidelines, according to the board, will address issues including the required waiting period for National Diploma holders before proceeding to HND, as well as exemptions for certain ND health-related programmes.

The board also announced a new ceiling for part-time National Diploma admissions, following the decision to bring all part-time ND admissions under JAMB.

It said the proportion of part-time students would now be limited to 50 per cent of an institution’s approved full-time admission quota.

“Now that all part-time ND admissions are under the JAMB, the proportion of part-time students is pegged at 50 per cent of the approved full-time quota,” the circular stated.

The federal government also reaffirmed an earlier NBTE directive concerning holders of combined NCE and HND qualifications and their eligibility for NYSC mobilisation.

NBTE had, in a circular issued on September 7, prohibited the presentation of candidates with an NCE/HND combination for NYSC mobilisation.

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Finally, the Federal Government has announced the payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the period January to August 2026.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday shortly after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation.

CATA is a financial allowance provided to academic staff to support the purchase of essential tools and materials required for teaching, research and other academic activities.

Alausa said the payment was in accordance with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities agreement and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to its implementation.

He said, “The Office of the Minister of Education is happy to announce that the full CATA payment has now been released by the Federal Government from January to August 2026 to all universities, all polytechnics and colleges of education.

All these institutions should have received notification to start paying CATA to all academic staff.”

The minister added that payment to non-academic staff was also being processed.

And also, the payment to non-academic staff, we’re hoping that these funds will be made available, hopefully, in the next few weeks,” he said.

According to Alausa, the payment was another indication of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the welfare of academic and non-academic staff in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

“This is another indication of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to our academic and non-academic staff. President Bola Tinubu made a commitment to ensuring that the quality and welfare of our staff are prioritised. He has prioritised the welfare of our staff,” he said.

Alausa said the administration’s education reforms extended beyond staff welfare, noting that significant investments were also being made in infrastructure across tertiary institutions, as well as in basic and postgraduate education.

“Beyond prioritising the welfare of our staff, he has also significantly invested in infrastructure at all our tertiary institutions and also basic and postgraduate education,” the minister said.

He added that the administration was committed to ensuring that Nigerian children receive quality education that could compete with standards anywhere in the world.

“This is a President that believes so much in education. He has delivered beyond his promises to ensure that every single child in this country gets the highest quality of education comparable to anywhere in the world,” Alausa said.

He commended President Tinubu for what he described as a transformative initiative in the education sector.