The Federal Government has proposed new dates for major national examinations in 2027, including the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.

The proposed timetable followed a meeting between the Minister of State for Education and representatives of examination bodies and private schools.

According to a communiqué issued after the meeting held on September 30, 2026, the 2027 UTME is scheduled to hold from March 15 to 25, 2027, with results expected to be released in March.

The National Examinations Council, NECO, Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE, is proposed to take place from April 1 to May 14, while the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, West African Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, is scheduled for May 11 to June 18, 2027.

Results for both NECO and WAEC are expected to be released in August 2027.

The National Business and Technical Examinations Board, NABTEB, and the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, NBAIS, examinations are proposed to take place between June and July 2027, although their result release dates are yet to be announced.

The Federal Ministry of Education stressed that the proposed dates remain subject to confirmation by the respective examination bodies.

The ministry also announced a new requirement for schools seeking approval as examination centres.

It said accredited schools must ensure that at least 75 per cent of their teachers are TRN-licensed by December 11, 2026.

The ministry said compliance would be verified, after which details of schools that meet the requirement would be uploaded to the designated registration portal.

It warned that schools that fail to meet the requirement would not be approved as examination centres for any of the examinations.

The resolutions were contained in a communiqué signed by Dr Bukola Dosunmu, Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Education-Government Private Sector Working Group.

The ministry said further details and updates on the implementation of the resolutions would be communicated in due course.