Ogbomoso public secondary schools need ₦6.881b to purchase computers for WAEC CBT

Ogbomoso public secondary schools need ₦6.881b to purchase computers for WAEC CBT

Yinka ADETUNJI

For the about 91 public secondary schools in Ogbomoso zone a sum total of ₦6.881b will be required for the purchase of desktop computer systems, it has been revealed. That is ₦75.625m for each school.

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According to findings by ogbomosoinsightonline.com, a good desktop computer system at the computer village, Ikeja, Lagos goes for between ₦250, 000 and ₦300, 000, and the minimum number of computers to secure WAEC accreditation and approval is 250 computers with 10 percent in reserve making it 275. If a midrange of ₦275, 000 is adopted as cost it means a total cost of ₦75.625m will be required per school.

Recall the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has declared its decision to migrate to the Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for its West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) starting 2026.

It mandated that every school should have at least 250 functional computer systems with 10 percent in reserve (that is 25 extra), a robust server, a local area network, CCTV cameras, reliable power supply, furniture and other essential facilities to qualify as a CBT centre for the exam.

WAEC, in a statement, explained that this requirement was part of its comprehensive migration to a CBT format for candidates, with a timeline for full implementation.

“Schools that cannot meet these standards will be assigned to designated external centres, and WAEC will not lower its standards for hosting schools,” the statement read.

According to findings, a fairly used desktop computer imported from the United Kingdom and sold at the Computer Village, Ikeja-Lagos, costs between N250,000 and N300,000.

This means that a school would need between N68.75 million and N82.5 million to procure 250 functional desktops, excluding other accessories that must be in place as mandated by WAEC. The mid-range of N75.625million was adopted for the analysis.

Meanwhile, it is doubted if any public secondary school in Ogbomoso zone registered up to 250 candidates for WASSCE in 2025. So, for such schools with lower number of candidates than the minimum number of computers, will availability of 275 computers still be mandatory?