FG Introduces Exam Learner ID Numbers, Bans SS3 Transfers

A New Identity Layer to Curb Impersonation and Hall-Level Cheating

NIGERIA is introducing a unique Examination Learners’ Identity Number for all candidates as part of reforms to improve fairness and integrity in national exams beginning in 2026. The number will function as a permanent learner tag, enabling tracking across exam registration, CA submission, supervision, and certificate authentication.

The reform aims to close longstanding issues including:

• Impersonation networks

• Multiple candidate registrations under different schools

• Post-exam CA manipulation

• Unverified learner records during certificate screening

Same Exam Questions, Different Arrangements for Each Candidate

The government is also launching enhanced question sequencing, where each candidate receives exam questions arranged differently, making answer sharing significantly harder in exam halls.

Education integrity analysts say this approach shifts the fight from security patrols to algorithmic disruption—fracturing the “copy chain” that organised cheating rings depend on.

No More Last-Minute School Transfers

In addition, the government reaffirmed a total ban on SS3 level school transfers, a rule that will now be enforced more aggressively to stop last-minute migrations that are statistically linked to exam malpractice clusters.

The ministry says this will ensure that school identities are tied to legitimate academic progression, not opportunistic exam strategy.

Supervision, Stakeholders, and the Long Reform Arc

The ministry assured that supervision will be strengthened in collaboration with exam bodies, state governments, school administrators, parents, and candidates.

But editorial investigation highlights one unresolved issue: Nigeria’s reforms will succeed only if digital identity tracking is matched by digital accountability systems in schools, especially CA submission platforms and malpractice audits.

The reforms reflect Nigeria’s attempt to adopt global best practices while tailoring safeguards to local realities.